ORLANDO, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern volleyball team emerged victorious twice on Friday in the first day of the South Region Crossover. In its first game, the Sharks (10-7) earned a quick three-set win over West Alabama (25-13, 25-15, 25-11) before the nightcap battle with Valdosta State, where NSU earned a 3-1 win (32-34, 25-18, 34-32, 26-24).
Match One
Despite the early start time, the Sharks proved to be plenty awake in the first match of the day against UWA (12-9). As a team, NSU finished with an overall .316 hitting percentage and had a total of nine blocks to go with eight aces.
Tashalyn Begon led all players with 10 kills and added four block assists while Denvry Tyler-Palmer chipped in eight kills and
Jessica Ronyak had seven kills.
Maddie Uilk recorded two solo blocks and three block assists to go along with her four kills.
Megan Burns collected four digs and
Katie Pyles had 29 assists.
The Sharks absolutely dominated in set one, committing only two hitting errors leading to a .441 hitting percentage as a team. The set saw only two ties early on, before a kill by Ronyak gave the Sharks the lead (3-2) and the Sharks never looked back, going on to win 25-13.
Sets two and three were very similar to the first, with the offense shining and the defense holding the Tigers to a .094 and -.172 hitting percentage. In both sets, the Sharks held the lead the entire time, and with two quick wins (25-15, 25-11) the match was over in less than an hour.
Match Two
The second match of the day had the same winning result, but was a completely different game. Taking over two hours to complete four sets, the Sharks recorded some eye-popping numbers. Pyles tallied her sixth career triple-double with her 12 kills (the most since her sophomore season), 15 digs and 49 assists (highest amount in all her triple-doubles). As a team, the Sharks tallied 216 attacks, the third-highest amount in program history and most since 2007.
Ronyak led the Sharks offensively with her 20 kills, 17 digs and nine assists, just one assist from a triple-double of her own. Tyler-Palmer added 12 kills and 23 digs and
Kerrigan McVicker logged 13 kills.
Megan Burns tallied 27 digs while
Natalie Melcher recorded two solo blocks and assisted on two.
The Sharks trailed through most of the first set, until a 7-2 run by the Sharks knotted things up, 23-23. After a marathon ending, Valdosta State grabbed its only win of the match, 34-32.
In set two, the Sharks proved to be the stronger offensive team, outhitting the Blazers .324 to .095. Down 4-1, NSU grabbed five straight points to take the lead, 6-4, and never look back, earning the 25-18 victory and tying the score at a set apiece.
The third set was almost identical to the first, as the two teams battled into extra points, but this time the Sharks ended up on the winning side, 34-32. NSU held the lead throughout the early stages until the Blazers tied things up 10-10 and the back and forth battle continued until the end of the set.
Not to disappoint, the final set headed into extra points as well, and despite low hitting averages, Nova Southeastern earned the 26-24 win and clinched the match, 3-1.
The Sharks will finish play in the South Region Crossover tomorrow at 12:15 p.m. against West Florida
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