FORT LAUDERDALE – The Nova Southeastern University volleyball team will set out on the road for another two-match road trip this weekend. On Friday, the Sharks will face Embry Riddle in Daytona Beach, followed by a Sunshine State Conference match-up on Saturday at Rollins.
In a season that has been filled with one success story after another, the NSU volleyball team will enter this weekend of competition on a high note. On Wednesday, the Sharks received their first NCAA DII South Region ranking since 2009, coming in at No. 10 in the first regional poll that was released. And with only five matches remaining on the regular season schedule, the team will be looking to finish strong with their sights set on reaching the NCAA tournament.
"I am extremely proud of this team for reaching this level of recognition," head coach Jenn King said. "We still have some work to do in order to move up into the top eight and get into the postseason, but with five matches left, I am excited about how our team is competing right now."
At 7 p.m. on Friday, the Sharks will face SSC provisional member Embry Riddle. The 12-12 Eagles will host NSU at the ICI Center. Earlier this season, the Sharks suffered a 3-1 loss to ERAU at the NSU Arena, but will be looking to even the score and the season series to keep their playoff hopes alive. After starting the 2015 season 8-0, Embry Riddle has lost 12 of their last 16, and are on a seven-match losing skid. Their most recent loss came to Rollins on Tuesday.
The Eagles have two powerhouse offensive threats in Evelina Abdurakhmanova and Ana Pajic. Abdurakhmanova is currently averaging 4.38 kills per set, which when compared, would top all SSC hitters by nearly .50 kills per set. Pajic adds 3.04 kills per set. As a team, the Eagles are hitting .195 as a team, but are holding their opponents to a .172 hitting percentage this season.
On Saturday, NSU will travel down to Winter Park, Fla. and face Rollins in an SSC matchup. The Sharks picked up an early season 3-1 win over the Tars at the NSU Arena and hope to capture the season series between the two. Despite starting the season 1-12, the Tars have come on strong in the second half of their season. They have won eight out of their last 11, which included a six-match win streak that lasted Oct. 16-24.
Although Rollins ranks in the bottom half in most of the SSC statistical categories ranked, the Tars are very strong defensively ranking second in both blocks (2.28/set) and digs (17.27/set). The 9-15 Tars will be led by Bri Civiero who is averaging just under three kills per set.
Throughout the season, the Sharks have been led offensively by
Dana Holger (Sr., Lino Lakes, Minn.). She currently has 350 kills and a 3.54 kills/set average, both of which are single season highs. For her career, she is just two kills away surpassing NSU Athletics Hall of Fame member Sherri Waddell for third all-time in career kills.
Caitlin Donahue (Sr., Miami, Fla.) has also come on strong in the second half of the season, setting career-highs in kills and ranking second in the SSC in hitting percentage with a .327 season percentage.
Megan Burns (Fr., Sylvania, Ohio) has also come on strong as of late. She most recently moved into the starting libero role for NSU where she has met and surpassed career-highs in digs twice in the past week ending with 33 against Florida Tech. After becoming the first freshman in school history to surpass the 30-dig mark in a single match and posted back-to-back 30-plus dig matches last week, Burns earned SSC Defensive Player of the Week honors for her accolades.
Both matches will have live stats and video streaming available. To follow the Sharks live, please visit
www.NSUSharks.com for more details.
