Box Score SAINT LEO, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern University volleyball team (8-6, 3-2 SSC) falls, 3-0 (25-20, 25-21, 26-24), after a hard fought, heartbreaking third set against the Saint Leo Lions (8-5, 3-2 SSC) Saturday on the road.
Sydney Cook (Jr., Miami, Fla.) had a team high 14 kills, followed by
Natalie Melcher (Fr., Richon Litzion, Israel),
Dana Holger, (Jr., Lino Lakes, Minn.) and
Katie Pyles (So., Denver, Colo.) who tallied five a piece. Pyles led the offense with 25 assists with
Candice Johnson (Sr., Chulouta, Fla.) posting a match-high 12 digs.
Saint Leo took an early lead in the opening set, holding the Sharks to a five-point margin in the early part of the game. NSU rallied two points on consecutive kills by Pyles and Holger to cut the Sharks' deficit to three, before an error by the Lions brought the Sharks to the closest margin of the game at 17-13. The Sharks would trail the Lion for the remainder of the set before falling to Saint Leo, 25-20.
The Sharks shook up the arena and created a three-point lead in the beginning of the second set. Melcher struck two of the four points that marked the Sharks' biggest lead of the match at 8-5. Threatened, the Lions notched two points on a kill and service ace to tie the game at eight. The set saw four more ties before Saint Leo scored four points on two kills and two errors to push for the 25-21 ending lead.
The third set between the Lions and Sharks was a fight until the end. With Saint Leo atop NSU, 11-8, the Sharks went on a 6-1 run to take a 14-12 lead. A Lions attack error pulled the first point in on the run before three of the next four points came off slams by Cook. The run closed with the Sharks taking advantage of another error by Saint Leo. However, the lead was short lived, as the Lions would come back on a kill and error to tie the game at 14. Saint Leo would ultimately end on top, but the Sharks did not let it come easy. The teams exchanged rallies four times before Saint Leo took the match win at 26-24 with back-to-back kills and an error.
The Sharks will continue SSC play tomorrow against the Florida Southern Mocs in Lakeland, Fla. at 4 p.m.
