FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – After falling behind two sets to none, the Nova Southeastern volleyball team came back with two wins to force a fifth set, only to fall short to the Eagles of Embry-Riddle University (18-25, 20-25, 25-21, 25-20, 13-15) on Friday evening in the NSU Arena. The Sharks now stand at 11-14 on the year while ERAU moves to 12-11.
Megan Burns picked up a program-high 39 digs, surpassing her current record of 36 digs in a single match set in 2015.
Katie Pyles notched her third triple-double of the season with 10 kills, 11 digs and 47 assists while
Denvyr Tyler-Palmer registered her third consecutive double-double with a game-high 25 kills and 15 digs.
Kerrigan McVicker was a solid offensive threat, hitting .343 with 18 kill and
Jane Early and
Tashalyn Begon tallied four and three blocks, respectively.
The Eagles used multiple-point runs late in the first two sets to grab a 2-0 advantage, holding the Sharks' offense to a lowly .068.
Down 7-5 in the third, the Sharks capitalized on a five-point run sparked by a kill by Tyler-Palmer to take the lead, 10-7, and never look back. NSU continued to put up points in small doses, holding the lead by at least two points, before a McVicker kill ended the set with the Sharks on top, 25-21.
NSU's offense shined in the fourth set, hitting an overall .400, committing just two errors and tallying a match-high 18 kills. Down 14-12, the Sharks used errors by the Eagles and a kill by Begon to steal the lead, 15-14. A kill by Embry-Riddle's Paola Virella knotted the set at 15-15 before another three-point run gave the Sharks the advantage once more, and the Sharks kept the lead en route to a 25-20 win to force the decision set.
Tied at 13-13 in the fifth set, the Sharks were unable to hold off the Eagles for the come-from-behind win, as the visiting team used a kill by Asya Oguz and an error by the Sharks to edge out the win, 15-13.
The Sharks will hit the court once again tomorrow, as they host SSC member Rollins College at 4:00 p.m. For live stats and video, head to NSUSharks.com.
