FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Closing out the season series with the Embry-Riddle Eagles, the Nova Southeastern volleyball team fell in straight sets on Friday evening in the Rick Case Arena.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
FINAL: L, 0-3 (18-25, 26-28, 18-25)
RECORDS: Nova Southeastern Sharks (5-15, 3-10 SSC), Embry-Riddle Eagles (13-7, 7-6 SSC)
LOCATION: Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
FOLLOW US: @NSUSHARKS on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
SET 1 | The Sharks were quick to jump out in front, 4-0, taking advantage of Eagle errors and kills by Leslie Atherton and Denvyr Tyler-Palmer. NSU continued to stay out in front until a 4-0 ERAU run knotted the game at 9-9. A kill by Maya Patterson and a block by Maddie Uilk and Atherton put NSU back in the driver's seat at 11-9, before Embry-Riddle took advantage of a 5-0 run to steal the lead and not look back. At 23-14 in ERAU's favor, the Sharks strung together three unanswered points to hint at a comeback, but ultimately fell short, 25-18.
 
SET 2 | The beginning of the second set saw the two teams stay within three points of each other, but at 10-7 with ERAU leading, the Sharks took off on a 6-0 run sparked by a kill by Atherton to take a 13-10 lead and force Embry-Riddle to call for a timeout. NSU held onto their lead before four unanswered points by the Eagles gave the visitors back the lead at 19-18. A kill by Tyler-Palmer gave the Sharks set point, 24-23, but it was a battle between the two teams, as set point was seen twice more before a block by ERAU closed out the set, 28-26.
 
SET 3 | NSU fell behind early, 6-2, cutting the deficit to two points at 10-8 with a kill by Tyler-Palmer. Embry-Riddle then took advantage of a 9-2 run to take a strong 19-10 lead, before the Sharks fought back to come within five late in the set, 23-18. Nova Southeastern was not able to keep the momentum on their side, however, as the Eagles closed out the set with a 25-18 win.
 
 
INSIDE THE STATS:
 

• Tyler-Palmer led all players with 14 kills and completed her double-double with 11 digs.  
• Gabby Bauch and Atherton each registered six kills, while Atherton added three blocks.
• Uilk recorded five kills to go along with two blocks and Amanda Pultorak had four kills with one solo block.
• Caylee Cox had 19 assists and Samantha Blasko contributed 17. They also added seven and five digs, respectively.
• Megan Burns collected a team-high 18 digs while Patterson had five.

 
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
 

• This was Tyler-Palmer's eighth double-double of the season.
• Tonight was Samantha Blasko's 16th double-digit assist game in a row and Cox's ninth.
• Today's loss brings the overall series to 17-13 in NSU's favor.

 
 
UP NEXT
 
The Sharks will continue at home tomorrow afternoon, hosting the Florida Tech Panthers at 4:00 p.m. in the Rick Case Arena.
 
 
SHARKS ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
 
Follow along with live updates on Twitter by following @NSU_VBALL.