WINTER PARK, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern University volleyball team defeated the Rollins Tars in five sets on Saturday afternoon at the Warden Arena.

INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
FINAL: W, 3-2 (18-25, 19-25, 25-23, 25-20, 15-10)
RECORDS: Nova Southeastern (5-20, 4-12 SSC), Rollins (4-22, 1-15 SSC)
LOCATION: Warden Arena | Winter Park, Fla.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
SET 1 | Rollins took control early in the opening set, turning a 3-3 tie into a lead of at least three points for much of the rest of the set. They used a 9-2 run to give them their largest lead of the set, at 23-13. The Sharks tried to get close with five of the next six points, before the Tars put them away.
 
SET 2 | The Sharks led, 5-3, early in the second set, before the Tars went took off for five in a row. They managed to take the lead back shortly thereafter, at 10-9, with four in a row themselves. It stayed close for a while, until a tie at 14-14 became a 19-15 Tars lead. They Tars maintained the advantage from there, ending the set on a 4-1 run.
 
SET 3 | The Tars turned another early tie to their advantage in the third set, with a 8-4 run after the teams were tied 7-apiece. They kept up the pressure, until a set-high five-point lead at 21-16, at which point the tides began to turn for the Sharks, with three in a row to get within two points, then five in a row to win the set. Megan Burns delivered a service ace out of a Tars timeout to tie the match, then Erin Carter and Burns herself picked up the crucial kills for the 24^th and 25^th points.
 
SET 4 | The Sharks carried over the momentum from their 8-1 end to the third set, using another 5-0 run to take an early 7-3 lead. The Tars did not go away easily, however, tying the set first at 14-14, then at 17- and 18-all. That pushed the Sharks to take the next the next three points and into a 7-2 run to win the set and force a winner-take-all, first-to-15 set five.
 
SET 5 | Rollins seemed to be in control early, scoring the first three points, but the Sharks reacted with urgency in yet another 5-0 run to force a Tars timeout. The Tars got within one, at 6-5, but the Sharks took the next two, leading, 8-5, when the teams switched sides. The teams alternated the next five points, until four in a row by the Sharks gave them match point, and a kill by Maddie Uilk did Rollins in once and for all.
 
INSIDE THE STATS:

• Maddie Uilk and Maya Patterson led the Sharks with 13 kills each, a season-high for Uilk, with Erin Carter's career-high of 12 right behind them. Patterson also had her fourth double-double of the season with a career-high 18 digs. Carter also had the best attack percentage of her career, leading the team at .385.
• Samantha Blasko and Caylee Cox each finished 20 assists, at 29 and 21, respectively. Blasko's 10 digs also resulted in her fourth double-double of the season.
• Megan Burns had a match-high 29 digs.
• Leslie Atherton had a hand in all five Sharks blocks in the match, including three solos.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• This was the Sharks' first five-set victory of the season, and their second five-set match in a week after none in their first 22 of the season.
• It was also their first five-set win since last Sept. 22 at Embry-Riddle and their first coming back from a 2-0 set deficit since Sept. 3, 2016, vs. Rockhurst in the Shark Invitational.

UP NEXT:
The Sharks will continue their road swing on Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m., when they face off against the Lynn Fighting Knights in Boca Raton, Fla. For complete coverage of the action, visit the schedule page on NSUSharks.com.
 
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