FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern volleyball team will close out regular-season play this weekend at home, taking on Saint Leo on Friday evening at 7:00 p.m. before facing the No. 24 Tampa Spartans on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. Prior to Saturday's match, NSU is proud to honor its four seniors: Tashalyn Begon, Natalie Melcher, Katie Pyles and Jessica Ronyak.
 
The Sharks (12-17, 4-10 SSC) look to remain in the win column finish the season strong against two solid teams who are fighting for the top spot in the Sunshine State Conference. Saint Leo, who is currently sitting at No. 2 in the league, enters Friday's match with an overall record of 19-10, while the SSC-leading an 24^th-ranked Tampa comes in at 21-7 overall. Both teams each stand at 11-4 against conference opponents.
 
Saint Leo relies on Hope Lemon, who is currently boasting a 3.33 kills per set average, to lead its offense with the help of setter Anna Garrett, who is ranked third in the conference in assists per set (9.36). The Lions' strong side is their defense, which is anchored by Jamee Townsend, the top-ranked defensive player in the SSC. With a total of 588 digs, the senior libero picks up on average 5.35 digs per set.
 
In their last meeting in October, down two sets to none, the Sharks rallied back to force a fifth set, but ultimately fell short, 3-2, to the Lions on the road. Ronyak led all players with 18 kills and made it a double-double, scooping up 10 digs. Denvyr Tyler-Palmer also recorded a double-double with 16 kills and 16 digs and Pyles contributed 47 assists to go along with eight kills and 12 digs. Megan Burns recorded 27 digs and Sam Blasko had 11, and both players had two aces.
 
Tampa comes into Saturday's match as the 24th-ranked team in the latest AVCA (American Volleyball Coaches Association) Top 25 national poll and are coming off a 3-1 loss to Lynn that halted a seven-game win streak. The Spartans lead the conference with a .244 hitting percentage and are also keeping their opponents to a league-low .154 percent. Allee Stelogeannis is Tampa's strongest offensive threat, sitting at No. 2 in the league in kills per set with 4.08. Logan Holanchock holds down the back row, averaging 4.59 digs per set.
 
NSU fell in four sets (25-20, 12-25, 16-25, 18-25) to Tampa in October as Maddie Uilk led the Sharks with 12 kills, a career high. The sophomore middle blocker also added three blocks. Ronyak and Begon each added nine kills and Pyles contributed 27 assists and two aces. Burns picked up a match-high 24 digs.
 
Tyler-Palmer continues to power the NSU offense and ranks fifth in the league in kills per set with 3.79. Ronyak and Begon are also ranked in the Top 20 of the conference with 2.91 and 2.38 kills per set, respectively. Burns continues to add to her single-season dig record, posting a conference-high 649 digs and sits at No. 2 with 5.23 digs per set.
 
Both live video streaming and live stats will be available during this weekend's contests, by visiting www.NSUSharks.com.