FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Despite earning the win in the first set of the match, the Nova Southeastern volleyball team fell at the hands of the visiting Florida Tech Panthers on Saturday afternoon in the Rick Case Arena.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
FINAL: L, 1-3 (25-21, 23-25, 23-25, 17-25)
RECORDS: Nova Southeastern Sharks (5-16, 3-11 SSC), Florida Tech Panthers (6-16, 3-11 SSC)
LOCATION: Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
SET 1 | Down 6-5, four unanswered points by the Sharks pushed the home team out to a 9-6 lead, a lead they would hold for the rest of the set. A kill by Denvyr Tyler-Palmer gave Nova Southeastern it's largest lead of the set, 19-12, before the Panthers started chipping away at the Sharks' lead, cutting the deficit to just three points at 24-21. NSU would not let the visitors take the rally, however, as another kill by Tyler-Palmer sealed the deal with a 25-21 win for the Sharks.
 
SET 2 | With the Sharks ahead, 8-5, errors by NSU and a kill by the Panthers knotted the game at 8-8, before back-to-back errors by FIT pushed Nova Southeastern back in front, 10-8. A couple points later at 12-12, FIT took advantage of a 5-1 run to steal a 17-13 lead and never let go. At 24-20, the Sharks hinted at a comeback, tallying three-straight points with kills by Leslie Atherton and Gabby Bauch and a block by Atherton and Erin Carter to come within one, 24-23, and forcing the Panthers to call for a timeout. Returning to the court, FIT finished the set with a kill by Heather Bowersox, evening the match at a set apiece.
 
SET 3 | The Panthers were quick to grab the lead in the third set, going up to 11-6 before a block by Atherton and Maddie Uilk sparked a 7-0 run by the Sharks to give the home squad a 13-11 advantage. NSU was able to hold off the Panthers from retaking the lead until a 5-0 run by FIT put the visitors back in front at 21-18. NSU tied it back up a couple plays later at 22-22 with kills by Bauch and Atherton and an error by FIT, but it wasn't enough as the Panthers took set three 25-23 for a 2-1 overall edge.
 
SET 4 | The two teams exchanged the lead a couple times in the beginning of the fourth, before at 7-7 the Panthers went ahead, 10-7, and kept the advantage on their side for the remainder of the set. Three-consecutive errors by FIT cut the deficit to one at 14-13, but that would be the closest the Sharks would get as Florida Tech went on to outscore NSU 11-4 for the 25-17 win and overall victory.
 
 
INSIDE THE STATS:
 

• Tyler-Palmer tallied a team-high 14 kills while Atherton followed closely behind with 11. Tyler-Palmer also picked up 21 digs for the double-double and Atherton had a team-high five blocks.
• Carter notched eight kills of her own and Bauch had five. Carter also added two blocks and Bauch had two service aces with seven digs.
• Uilk had four kills with three blocks while Amanda Pultorak registered two blocks.
• Samantha Blasko had 25 assists and Caylee Cox had 10.
• Megan Burns picked up a game-high 33 digs to go along with four assists.

 
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
 

• Both Atherton's 11 kills and Carter's eight kills were career-highs.
• Burns' 33 digs were a season-high.
• Today's loss brings the overall series to 28-25 in FIT's favor.  

 
UP NEXT
 
The Sharks will travel to Orlando, Fla. next weekend to compete in the South Region Crossover. The three games NSU will play in will be announced on Sunday, Oct. 14.
 
 
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