HOOVER, Ala. – The Nova Southeastern University Sharks volleyball team dropped their first match of the Gulf South Conference/Sunshine State Conference Crossover Challenge to the Bulldogs of Union University on Friday afternoon.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
Score: Union 3, Nova Southeastern 1
Records: Nova Southeastern (4-9), Union (12-9)
Location: Finley Center | Hoover, Ala.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
SET 1 | The Sharks quickly jumped out to a 5-1 lead, but the Bulldogs just as quickly clawed their way back, tying it at 6-6. The Sharks then scored four in a row, but Union once again proved to be resilient and got the set knotted back up at 12-12. From there, the teams traded points until a 4-0 Union run to take a three-point lead forced the Sharks to take a timeout. They got it back to within one on a kill by Denvyr Tyler-Palmer, but the Bulldogs scored four of the final five to win the opener, 25-21.
SET 2 | The two teams began the second set by alternating points, but the Sharks quickly took control, turning a 6-6 tie into an 11-6 advantage. That momentum powered the team through the set, as they never let the lead slip away, building it up to as many as seven points before a Tyler-Palmer kill sealed it at 25-22.
SET 3 | The Bulldogs took the lead almost immediately, as a 10-1 run early on gave them all that they would need to take a 2-1 set lead, winning 25-17. The Sharks used an extended 12-6 run of their own to pull back to within three, but that's as close as they would get, with Union ending the set with seven of the last nine points.
SET 4 | Much like set two, neither team got more than one point ahead until Union slowly built up a five-point lead midway through. The Sharks, however, would be the team that fought to get back into it. An 11-4 run got them from the aforementioned five-point deficit to a 23-21 lead. The Bulldogs answered back with three straight kills of their own, though, and facing match point, the Sharks called their second timeout in as many points. The team responded in a big way, as Elyssa Stimmell and Kim Blasko assisted on a block that tied it at 24 apiece. Unfortunately, Union gave it right back to them and a block assist ended the set in the Bulldogs' favor, 26-24, for the 3-1 victory.

INSIDE THE STATS:

• Rachael Nelson's 11 digs were second only to the 19 from Megan Burns. The freshman not only set a new personal best, but also equaled her season total entering the match.
• The Sharks committed two more errors on two more attack attempts than the Bulldogs, but Union tallied 55 kills as a team to NSU's 40, resulting in an attack percentage advantage of .215 to .099.
• Both teams had four service aces and 14 service errors each in the match.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• Tyler-Palmer recorded a match-high 20 kills and is now just four kills away from reaching 1,000 for her career.
• Sam Blasko matched her career high in kills, with five, while setting a new career high of four blocks. She also posted 25 assists and 10 digs, for her fourth double-double of the season and her second match in a row with 25 or more assists, a feat she had yet to achieve before last weekend.

UP NEXT:
The Sharks will complete the GSC/SSC Crossover Challenge tomorrow, when they face the Mississippi College Choctaws at 11 a.m. ET, followed by the Montevallo Falcons at 5:45 p.m. For complete coverage of the action, visit the schedule page on NSUSharks.com.

SHARKS ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
Follow along with live updates on Twitter by following @NSU_VBALL.