Box Score
BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern volleyball team was edged on the road in a five-set heartbreaker by the Lynn Fighting Knights, 3-2 on Tuesday night.
The Sharks (5-19, 1-12 SSC) was able to go ahead 1-0 by virtue of a 25-22 first set, featuring 15 team kills, 10 by the combination of
Dana Holger (So., Lino Lakes, Minn.) and
Sydney Cook (So., Miami).
Of Holger's six in the frame, four came during a mid-set rally that saw the Sharks turn a 10-6 deficit into a 16-13 advantage.
The opening period had seven ties, four of which came between 18-18 and 22-22. NSU was able to close out the set with the final three points, one on a kill by Cook, another by
Katie Pyles (Fr., Denver), and then a Lynn attack error.
The Fighting Knights came back with wins in each of set two (25-21) and three (25-19). In the second, Lynn led wire-to-wire, and hit .297 for the period.
In the third, Lynn only trailed 1-0 and led the remainder of the way. Again, the Fighting Knights hit well (.281), and were up by as many as five on a few occasions. The last was at 19-14, and the Sharks would cut it to 20-17, but Lynn closed it out with a 5-2 stretch for the win.
The Sharks forced a deciding frame with a tense fourth-set win that included 10 ties. The Sharks took their first lead at 11-10, and used a quick 4-0 spurt a little later to go up 18-14.
The Fighting Knights came right back with four of their own, but then the Sharks scored three straight. The last two of those came on back-to-back combined blocks by Holger and
Tory Njardvik (So., Livingston, Mont.).
NSU's lead would again be short-lived for another tie at 22-22. A kill by
Destiny Bannister (Jr., Kendall, Fla.) and a Lynn attack error gave NSU set point, but again the home team fought back. They knotted it at 24-24 with a kill and Shark attack error.
The Sharks survived for another frame on a kill by
Samantha High (Sr., Naples, Fla.) and Lynn's seventh attack error in the set, setting the stage for the fifth.
Lynn moved ahead early in the final set, forcing an NSU timeout at 8-4. The Sharks cut it to two twice, the last at 10-8, but the Fighting Knights scored four of the next five for set and match point at 14-9.
The Sharks did not go quietly. Pyles got a kill, Bannister and Njardvik combined for a block, and a Lynn attack error cut it to 14-12. But the final point came on a double-hit violation by the visitors, giving Lynn a 15-12 set win and 3-2 match victory.
Cook paced NSU with 18 kills, followed by Holger with 15, High with nine (and a .350 hit percentage), and five each from Bannister and Pyles. Pyles had 46 assists, and she was one of three Sharks in double digits in digs, with 10, along with 17 from
Candice Johnson (Jr., Chuluota, Fla.) and 15 from
Maison Burr (Fr., St. Clair, Mich.).
The Sharks were also had 18 team blocks on Tuesday. High was in on seven, Holger six, Bannister five, Pyles four, and Cook and Njardvik three each.
NSU has their final road match of the season this Friday night when they travel to take on the Saint Leo Lions. First serve is at 7 p.m.
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