ORLANDO, Fla. – In its final game of the 2018 South Region Crossover, the Nova Southeastern volleyball team fell in a marathon five sets to the Valdosta State Blazers, 2-3 (20-25, 25-17, 25-20, 18-25, 10-15).
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
FINAL: L, 12-3 (20-25, 25-17, 25-20, 18-25, 10-15)
RECORDS: Nova Southeastern Sharks (5-19), Valdosta State Blazers (12-14)
LOCATION: Orlando Sports Center | Orlando, Fla.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
SET 1 | The Sharks and the Blazers stayed close to each other throughout the first part of the first set, before a 5-0 run by Valdosta State gave them a 12-6 lead. A couple points later, the Sharks took advantage of a 6-1 run to come within one, 19-18. The Blazers held onto their lead, however, and finished the set on top, 25-20.
 
SET 2 | The second set saw the Sharks' offense come alive as the team collectively hit .385. Trailing 7-5, three unanswered points by NSU, sparked by a kill by Maya Patterson, gave the Sharks a 8-7 edge. The Blazers were able to steal back the lead, 9-8, before three consecutive errors by VSU gave Nova Southeastern back the lead for good. The Blazers came within two late in the set, 18-16, but a 7-1 run by the Sharks allowed NSU to win set two, 25-17, and even the overall match at 1-1.
 
SET 3 | Similar to the first set, the two teams stayed within a point of each other at the beginning, before at 8-8, NSU took off on a 6-0 run to take a 14-8 lead and forcing VSU to use both of their timeouts early. The Sharks continued to put on the offensive pressure, taking as much as a seven point lead, 18-11, with a kill by Kim Blasko. The Blazers cut the deficit to just one point, 21-20, before kills by Patterson, Kim Blasko and Leslie Atherton propelled NSU to a 25-20 win and overall 2-1 advantage.
 
SET 4 | With the Sharks ahead, 4-3, the Blazers exploded on an 8-0 run to take a commanding 11-4 lead. The Sharks used their own 9-1 run, ignited by a Kim Blasko kill, to knot the game at 18-18. That would be the closest they would get to overtaking the Blazers, however, as VSU closed out the game with seven unanswered points to take set four, 25-18, and force a fifth and final set.
 
SET 5 | Trailing by three points, 6-3, the Sharks rattled off five unanswered points to take a two-point lead at the switch, 8-6. A 3-1 run by VSU knotted the match, 9-9, before a service error by the Blazers put the advantage back on NSU's side. That would be the last time, however, as Valdosta State used a 6-0 run to steal the game from the Sharks and overall victory.
 
 
INSIDE THE STATS:
 

• Kim Blasko led all Sharks with 17 kills and Atherton added 15. Atherton also had three blocks.
• Patterson tallied 13 kills and recorded a double-double with 12 digs.
• Samantha Blasko dished out 42 assists and had five service aces and six digs.
• Megan Burns picked up 29 digs and had five assists.

 
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
 

• Atherton's 15 kills were a career-high. Her .467 hitting percentage was also a season-best.
• Samantha Blasko's 42 assists tied her season-high, set against Texas A&M International on Sept. 1.
• This was Patterson's third double-double of the season.
• Today's loss evens the overall series between the Sharks and the Blazers at 3-3.

 
 
UP NEXT
 
The Sharks will return to Sunshine State Conference play next Friday, Oct. 26 as they travel to Tampa, Fla. to take on the host Spartans at 7:00 p.m.
 
 
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Follow along with live updates on Twitter by following @NSU_VBALL.