FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern University volleyball team will be back on the road to compete against four teams in the Eckerd College Classic in St. Petersburg, Fla., Friday, Sept. 12 and Saturday, Sept. 13. 

The Sharks (1-3) will have two matches on Friday, Sept. 13 against Chadron at 12:45 p.m. and UPR-Rio Piedras at 5:15 p.m. On the following day, NSU will take on Daemen at 12:45 p.m. and Queens at 5:15 p.m.

Individually, Dana Holger (Jr., Lino Lakes, Minn.), paces the squad with 49 kills (her average of 3.06 per set ranks her ninth in the Sunshine State Conference), with Sydney Cook (Miami, Fla.) just behind her with 42. Sophomore Katie Pyles  (Denver, Colo.), has a team high 128 assists (fourth in the conference). Candice Johnson (Sr., Chuluota, Fla.) leads the team in digs with 79 (third in the conference with 4.94 per set) and is one of four sharks to have over 30 digs, along with Cook (49, tenth in conference), Holger (40) and Kaelyn Brock (Fr., La Quinta, Calif.) with 34.
  
 
Chadron Eagles
This will be the first time the Sharks face the Chadron Eagles (1-3). Chadron is led by hitters Erika Roybal and Lelalelei Nomura, who both have 41 kills and boast a hitting percent higher than .170. The Eagles compete in the tournament after going 1-3 in the MSU-Billings Tournament in Billings, Montana, winning their game against University of Mary, 3-0.
 
University of Puerto Rico – Rio Piedras Gallitos
In their last campaign, the Sharks took the first set against the Gallitos, 25-22. Cook had three straight early kills and the set point, while Holger had five kills in the set. UPR fought back and won the next three games, 25-15, 25-22, 25-19. Holger led the team with 17 kills and a .333 hitting percentage, with Cook next at 12 kills and a .296 percentage. Pyles had 37 of the team's 41 assists, and Johnson had a team-high 12 digs. Overall, the Sharks hold a 3-1 record against UPR.
 
Daemen Wildcats
This will be the first contest between the Sharks and Wildcats. The Wildcats (0-5) opened their 2014 season last weekend in the East-West Challenge in Hawaii, facing tough losses in all five of their matches. Lindsey Nowak leads the team's offense with 42 hits, followed closely by Amber Drzymala with 38. Defensively, Chelsea Turcer holds a team-high 51 digs with Nowack and Reeser posting four blocks each in the season.

Queens Royals
The Royals enter the tournament, 1-3, after hosting the Charlotte Fall Volleyball Invitational. Meredith Jones leads the team in hits with 33, followed by Rebecca Cochran with 19. The only competition between the teams occurred nearly three years ago, Sept. 10, 2011, in which the Sharks won, 3-1 (22-25, 25-23, 25-18, 25-20). 

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