FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla – The Nova Southeastern volleyball team continues Sunshine State Conference play this weekend against the Florida Tech Panthers, Friday at 7 p.m. in Melbourne, Florida and Lynn, Saturday at 2 p.m. in Boca Raton, Florida.
NSU returns to the court after a stellar performance against SSC foes Rollins and Eckerd last weekend, pushing the Sharks to their first back-to-back set of SSC wins since Sept. 20, 2009. The victories also bolstered the team to third place in SSC rankings, surpassing both of those teams.
Caitlin Donahue (Jr., Miami) is now fourth in the SSC with a .358 hitting percentage, and
Sydney Cook (Sr., Miami) is ranked fifth in blocks with 24 assisted blocks and eight solo.
Candice Johnson (Sr., Chuluota, Fla.) is ranked second in the SSC in digs with 184.
On the teams' recent success, head coach Jennifer King stated, "Last weekend was great for our team and program, but we have to make sure we don't rest on those wins. We're working hard in practice to improve our system while also preparing for what we're going to see this weekend."
Florida Tech PanthersThe match between the Sharks and Panthers marks Florida Tech's first home match of the season. Recently, FIT lost in their first two SSC competitions against Saint Leo and Florida Southern. Junior Kim Juriga had a team high 21 kills, 15 digs and two service ace in both matches, posting her first double-double against Saint Leo with 13 kills and 13 digs.
"We'll see another 6-2 with Florida Tech, which is helpful because it's what we've competed against lately," said King. "FIT is a big, athletic team, so we will have to be smart offensively and aggressive defensively to be successful."
The Panthers lead the Sharks in the all-time series, 24-19. In their most recent contest on Nov. 11, 2013, NSU fell to the Panthers, 3-1 (26-24, 14-25, 25-22, 25-19).
Dana Holger (Jr., Lino Lakes, Minn.) and Cook combined for 29 kills in the loss, Holger led all players with 15, just one ahead of her teammate.
Katie Pyles (So., Denver, Colo.) had her second-highest assist mark of her career at the time with 39. Likewise, Johnson tallied 21 digs for her second-most of the year.
Lynn Fighting KnightsThe Fighting Knights compete this weekend after most recently falling to Saint Leo, 3-2 (22-25, 24-26, 25-15, 25-11, 15-12) despite holding a 2-0 lead. Lynn's Morgan Dulaney posted a career-high for the second match in a row with nine kills. Senior Elyse Fleck is currently ranked third in SSC kills with 80 (3.48 per set) as senior Lizzy Raffa is third in the SSC in digs with 11 (.46 per set).
"Lynn is the first 5-1 we've seen in a while, so we'll have to get back on track with that, but they also are running a very different defense," said King. "It changes the areas on the court that are open and we will have to be mindful of that, because what worked previously won't work now."
The Sharks are only three matches behind the Knights in the all-time record, 19-16. In their last competition, the game went to five sets with Lynn closing out the match, 3-2 (22-25, 25-21, 25-19, 24-16, 15-12). Cook paced NSU with 18 kills, followed by Holger with 15.
Overall on the weekend, coach King states, "My main concern is always our system, our game, the way we play. We will always be prepared for our opponents, but day in and day out we are focused on improving ourselves. That's how we will be able to succeed over the course of a long season."
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