Box Score

BOCA RATON, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern University volleyball team (8-5, 3-1 SSC) was defeated by the Lynn Fighting Knights (6-5, 2-2 SSC), 3-1 (25-19, 19-25, 25-15, 25-23) in a four-set clash in Boca Raton, Fla., Saturday afternoon.
 
The Sharks were led by Sydney Cook (Jr., Miami, Fla.), who tallied a team-high 15 kills, and Katie Pyles (So., Denver, Colo.), who came up one dig short of a triple-double with 10 kills, 19 assists and nine digs. Natalie Melcher (Fr., Rishton Letzion, Israel) had six kills to her name while Caitlin Donahue (Jr., Miami, Fla.) tallied five kills to earn herself a .556 hitting percentage.
 
Much like the previous night, it was a tight score for most of the first set. Cook kept it close with four kills on nine attempts but the Sharks were unable to slow the Lynn attack, as the Fighting Knights prevailed with a 25-19 victory.
 
The first set proved to be a bit of a wake-up call for the blue and grey, who then took the second set by a score of 25-19, led by Cook with six kills and Candice Johnson (Sr., Chuluota, Fla.), who posted 5 digs. Late in the set, Pyles and Donahue combined for a huge block to give the Sharks a 20-16 lead and they never looked back. Cook closed the set with a punishing kill that evened the match at 1-1.
 
The Sharks came ready to play again in the third set and took a 7-4 lead, which led to a Lynn timeout. The timeout paid off for the home side and turned into a quick run for the Fighting Knights, who took the lead 13-10. A late kill from Donahue nearly stopped the bleeding, but Lynn outscored the Sharks, 12-5, over the rest of the frame to win, 25-15.
 
The blue and grey showed a ton of character in the fourth set after Lynn carried its momentum into the final game of the day. Lynn held its largest lead at 20-12 and seemed to be in cruise control at home. However, NSU made a 10-2 run, including seven straight points, to tie the set at 22. After several attack errors, Lynn regrouped and took a pair of kills to win close, 25-23.
 
Two dates into a five-match road trip, NSU will next travel to Saint Leo on Oct. 3 at 7 p.m.
 
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