FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Opening a two-game homestand, Nova Southeastern volleyball fell in its third meeting with a ranked opponent this season, as the No. 18 Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish carried straight sets to down the Sharks on Tuesday night.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
FINAL: L, 0-3 (20-25,18-25,17-25)
RECORDS: Nova Southeastern Sharks (4-13, 2-8 SSC), Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish (15-3, 7-3 SSC)
LOCATION: Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
SET 1 | Despite NSU and PBA trading scores early, a Sailfish block provided PBA enough momentum to hold off a late 6-2 surge. The Sailfish broke out of a 4-4 tie, but the Sharks persisted until a 4-0 PBA run allowed the first cushion for the Sailfish. Twice more, NSU drew things closer on a block by
Denvyr Tyler-Palmer and later a kill from
Kim Blasko, but another 5-0 run gave PBA the necessary edge. Trailing 23-14 late, kills by
Maddie Uilk and Tyler-Palmer sparked an NSU drive that trimmed the final margin to 25-20.
SET 2 | PBA jumped out to an early advantage, with the Sailfish holding a five-point upper hand and reach double digits at 10-5. However, trailing 12-5,
Kim Blasko, Tyler-Palmer, Ulik and
Gabby Bauch spearheaded a 5-2 push to climb back into contention for the set. Although the Sharks and Sailfish traded scores to trim the deficit to 17-14, a pair of PBA runs pushed a 7-4 advantage down the stretch for a 25-18 PBA win.
SET 3 | Although PBA went up by four scores early, NSU battled and back-to-back kills from
Kim Blasko brought the Sharks within one at 15-14. The Sailfish responded in a major way, reeling off nine consecutive points to pull away, en route to a 25-17 set win and complete the 3-0 sweep.
INSIDE THE STATS:
- Ulik paced the Sharks with eight kills, while both Tyler-Palmer had seven and Kim Blasko notched five apiece.
- Caylee Cox collected 18 assists while Samantha Blasko added 13 of her own.
- Ulik recorded a team-best three blocks.
- Megan Burns recorded a team-high 16 digs, with Tyler-Palmer and Cox each chipping in six.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
- Tyler-Palmer expanded her hold on the NSU career kills and career attack attempts records, going 7-for-18 to reach 1438 career kills.
- Tonight's loss puts the overall series at 38-26 in favor of the Sailfish.
UP NEXT
The Sharks are back at home with an SSC contest against Eckerd on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. at Rick Case Arena. NSU will face Barry on the road next Tuesday and Embry-Riddle at home Friday.
SHARKS ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
Follow along with live updates on Twitter by following @NSU_VBALL.
