FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Down 23-20 in the fourth set on Saturday evening, the Nova Southeastern volleyball team rattled off five unanswered points to prevent the match from going to five sets with the Eckerd Tritons, emerging victorious with a 3-1 final score.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
FINAL: W, 3-1 (25-21, 25-22, 25-22, 25-23)
RECORDS: Nova Southeastern Sharks (45-13, 3-8 SSC), Eckerd Tritons (8-9, 3-7 SSC)
LOCATION: Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
SET 1 | Leading 5-3 in the first set, a block by Kim Blasko ignited a 6-0 run by the Sharks, giving the home squad a sizeable 11-3 lead. A couple rallies later, the Tritons took advantage of a 6-1 run of their own to come within three, 16-13. The Sharks were able to hold onto their lead by at least three points until a late run by Eckerd cut the deficit to two at 23-21, but a kill by Leslie Atherton and an error by Eckerd's setter gave NSU the 25-21 set one win.
 
SET 2 | The beginning of the second set was neck-and-neck before Eckerd utilized a 8-1 run to earn a 16-9 edge. The Sharks started to chip away at the Tritons' lead beginning with a kill by Denvyr Tyler-Palmer, eventually knotting the game at 17-17 with a block by Kim Blasko and Amanda Pultorak. Eckerd took back the lead, 20-17, before kills by Kim Blasko and an error by the visitors tied it up once again at 20-20. The Sharks were unable to get the advantage on their side, however, as EC went on to even the match at 1-1 with a 25-22 set two victory.
 
SET 3 | Similar to the first set, it was all Nova Southeastern in the beginning of set three, as the home team jumped out to a 10-2 lead. Eckerd was able to narrow their lead to four at 11-7, but NSU responded with a 6-1 run to earn a 17-8 lead, their largest of the game. Heading towards the final points of the set, Eckerd managed to come within two at 24-22, before a kill by Tyler-Palmer sealed the deal for NSU and gave the home team back the overall advantage at 2-1.
 
SET 4 | Like a pattern, NSU took a commanding lead in the early part of set four, this time taking an 11-2 lead. Eckerd would not give up, however, as they went on to outscore the Sharks 14-5 to steal the lead at 17-16. Nova Southeastern was able to get the lead back on their side, 19-18, with another kill by Tyler-Palmer before Eckerd used a 4-0 run to take a 22-19 lead. A kill by Tyler-Palmer brought the Sharks within two, before a kill by EC's Asya Harris forced NSU to use their final timeout with the scoreboard reading 23-20. Coming out of the huddle, the Sharks were on a mission as they recorded five unanswered points to steal the lead and the win, 25-23.
 
 
INSIDE THE STATS:
 

• Tyler-Palmer led all players with 17 kills and completed her double-double with 19 digs. She also tallied three service aces and three blocks.
• Maddie Uilk posted nine kills to go along with three blocks while Pultorak had a game-high seven blocks of her own.
• Gabby Bauch registered nine kills while Atherton had seven with two blocks.
• Caylee Cox and Samantha Blasko dished out 20 assists apiece, while Megan Burns had four. Burns also added a game-high 21 digs and Cox had 12.
• Maya Patterson picked up 11 digs.

 
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
 

• NSU's 10 team blocks were the most recorded by the Sharks as a whole since Nov. 3, 2017 at Saint Leo.
• This was Nova Southeastern's first win over Eckerd since Sept. 20, 2014.
• Today's win brings the overall series to 30-26 in the Tritons' favor.

 
 
UP NEXT
 
The Sharks will head south to Miami Shores on Tuesday evening to complete the season series against the Barry Buccaneers at 7:00 p.m.
 
 
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Follow along with live updates on Twitter by following @NSU_VBALL.