FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern volleyball team fell to the visiting Fighting Knights of Lynn University, 3-1 (20-25, 22-25, 25-20, 16-25), in a tough Sunshine State Conference battle on Tuesday night in the NSU Arena. The loss puts NSU at an even 11-11 overall and 3-6 in conference play while LU moves to 14-8 overall and 5-4 in the league.
Tashalyn Begon led the Sharks with 15 kills and
Denvyr Tyler-Palmer chipped in 10 kills and three service aces.
Jessica Ronyak tallied seven kills to go with 10 digs and
Katie Pyles contributed 29 assists.
Megan Burns recorded 26 digs and three aces.
NSU scored the first point of the first set but Lynn's offense quickly changed the momentum and grabbed a 4-1 advantage on a kill by Lydia West and three consecutive solo blocks, two of which were registered by West. For the night, West tallied 25 kills, one of the strongest offensive players the Sharks have seen all season. Lynn did not surrender the lead for the rest of the match, and ultimately ended up on top 25-20.
The second set was a closer battle between the two teams, seeing nine ties and seven lead changes. Down 17-14, the Sharks used four consecutive points, including two service aces by Burns, to take back the lead, 18-17. The Knights fought back, going on their own run to take back the lead, 22-18, and after the two teams exchanged points, LU outlasted the Sharks for a 25-22 set-two win.
Despite the low numbers and disappointing results from the first two sets, the Sharks did not surrender and came back after the break a new team. Playing nearly perfect volleyball, NSU hit .483 as a team and committed just one attack error. Tied at 11-11, NSU took off on a 6-1 run to take the lead, 17-12. The Sharks did not give up their lead for the rest of the set as strong performances by Begon and Tyler-Palmer helped lead Nova Southeastern to a 25-20 victory.
The Knights jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the fourth set, and kept the momentum on their side the entire time. The Sharks were able to come within one at 10-9, but Lynn's offense was almost unstoppable as they tallied 19 kills in total en route to a 25-16 win to end the match.
NSU will be back on the road again this upcoming weekend, traveling to Eckerd and Florida Southern for another pair of SSC games. The Sharks will face the Tritons on Friday at 7:00 p.m. before heading to Lakeland to take on No. 24 Mocs on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. For live stats and video, head to NSUSharks.com.
