ASHLAND, Ohio – Opening up its 2018 season in the Ashland University Tournament, the Nova Southeastern volleyball team dropped its first two games to Shippensburg and Bellarmine in straight sets.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP (GAME ONE):
FINAL: L, 0-3 (19-25, 19-25, 18-25)
RECORDS: Nova Southeastern (0-1), Shippensburg Raiders (1-0)
LOCATION: Kates Gymnasium | Ashland, Ohio
FOLLOW US: @NSUSHARKS on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
SET 1 | Trailing 10-8 early in the first set, an error by the Raiders and a kill by Denvyr Tyler-Palmer knotted the game 10-10, before Shippensburg went on a 6-1 rally to take a 16-11 advantage. The Sharks wouldn't get any closer than five points, however, as the Raiders went on to take the first set, 25-19.
 
SET 2 | Down 4-2, NSU rattled off three straight points to take a 5-4 lead, their lone lead of the game, before Shippensburg exploded on a 13-4 run to force NSU to take a timeout. At 20-12 in SU's favor, the Sharks used a 6-1 run, capped with a block by Leslie Atherton and Maddie Uilk and a kill by Tyler-Palmer to come within five, 20-15. The momentum didn't stay on NSU's side, however, as Shippensburg went on to take set two by the same score are the first set, 25-19.
 
SET 3 | Unlike the first two sets, Nova Southeastern started out in front of the third, taking a three-point lead, 9-6, with a kill by Maya Patterson. The game saw three ties before the Raiders strung three points together to steal the lead, 14-12. The Sharks responded with a three-point rally of their own to get the advantage back on their side, 15-14. After a couple more ties, the Sharks took an 18-16 lead thanks to kills by Patterson and Tyler-Palmer, and SU called for a timeout. The timeout was all the Raiders needed, as they returned to the court to go on a 9-0 run to steal set three, 25-18.
 
INSIDE THE STATS:
 

• Tyler-Palmer led the Sharks in kills with 12, while Kim Blasko added four.    
• Samantha Blasko tallied 18 assists, and was just one dig away from recording a double-double with nine.
• Megan Burns led the team with 11 digs and added six assists.
• Sydney Lemon recorded two blocks and two aces.

 
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
 

• Lemon's two blocks tied her career-high.
• This was the first time in program history the Sharks and the Raiders faced off.

 
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP (GAME TWO):
FINAL: L, 0-3 (21-25, 20-25, 18-25)
RECORDS: Nova Southeastern (0-2), Bellarmine Saints (1-1)
LOCATION: Kates Gymnasium | Ashland, Ohio
FOLLOW US: @NSUSHARKS on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
SET 1 | The Sharks had all the momentum on their side at the start of the first set, going ahead as far as 8-2, before Bellarmine slowly started to crawl back. The Knights used an 8-2 run to knot the game, 10-10, before a kill by Tyler-Palmer and a block by her and Atherton gave NSU a 12-10 edge. The two teams tied the game three more times before a service error by the Sharks gave Bellarmine the lead, and the Saints never looked back, taking the first set 25-21.
 
SET 2 | Tied at 6-6 in the second set, the Saints used a 7-2 run to take a 13-8 lead. Bellarmine continued to stay out in front by at least three until a kill by Tyler-Palmer brought the Sharks within two, 22-20. NSU wouldn't be able to capitalize, however, as Bellarmine went on to take the second set 25-20.
 
SET 3 | The beginning of the third set was neck-and-neck until at 6-6, the Saints used four consecutive points to take a 10-6, a lead they would hold onto for the remainder of the set. The Sharks were able to come within one late in the set, 19-18, but a six-point run by Bellarmine halted NSU's chance of a comeback.
 
INSIDE THE STATS:
 

• Once again, Tyler-Palmer led the Sharks in kills with 14, while Patterson added 11. Tyler-Palmer also added a team-high four blocks. Patterson was one dig away from recording a double-double, picking up nine digs.
• Samantha Blasko tallied a game-high 32 assists, and completed the double-double by adding 10 digs.
• Megan Burns led the team with 16 digs, adding four assists and two aces.
• Kim Blasko and Atherton added two blocks each.

 
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
 

• Patterson's nine digs were a career-high.
• This was also the first time these two teams competed against each other.

 
 
UP NEXT
 
The Sharks will continue play in the Ashland University Tournament, playing Malone at 9:00 a.m. before wrapping up play against host Ashland at 2:00 p.m.
 
 
SHARKS ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
 
Follow along with live updates on Twitter by following @NSU_VBALL.