ASHLAND, Ohio – Finishing up competition in the Ashland University Tournament on Saturday, the Nova Southeastern volleyball team dropped another pair of games to the Pioneers of Malone University and the host Ashland University Eagles.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP (GAME ONE):
FINAL: L, 1-3 (25-17, 19-25, 20-25, 21-25)
RECORDS: Nova Southeastern (0-3), Malone Pioneers (2-1)
LOCATION: Kates Gymnasium | Ashland, Ohio
FOLLOW US: @NSUSHARKS on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
SET 1 | NSU had all the momentum on their side starting off the morning, using a 9-1 run to quickly grab an 11-4 lead. A strong Shark offense powered by Denvyr Tyler-Palmer and Leslie Atherton shot the Sharks out in front 20-12 before Malone called for their first timeout. A 4-2 run by NSU put the Sharks in winning position but Malone put together three consecutive points to force NSU to take a timeout. Returning to the court, an error by the Pioneers gave NSU the 25-17 win and an overall 1-0 edge.
 
SET 2 | With the Sharks trailing by just one point, 10-9, the Pioneers took advantage of Sharks errors to put up six unanswered points, forcing NSU to use their first timeout. The Pioneers continued to stay out in front, until at 23-16, Nova Southeastern used Malone errors and a kill by Erin Carter to bring the Sharks within four, 23-19. Malone cut NSU's rally short, however, using two more errors by the Sharks to seal the game, 25-19, and even the game at a set apiece.
 
SET 3 | Like the first set, the Sharks jumped out to a 10-4 lead before Malone started to slowly chip away at their lead. With the Sharks ahead 14-10, the Pioneers took advantage of a 9-2 run to steal a 19-16 edge. The two teams exchanged points before kill by Tyler-Palmer brought the Sharks within two, 20-18, but it wasn't enough as MU went on to outscore NSU 5-2 for the overall 25-20 win.
 
SET 4 | The Sharks started slow in the fourth set, allowing Malone to take a 20-9 lead before kicking into gear. Starting with a serving error by the Pioneers to get the ball back on NSU's side, the Sharks rattled off 10 unanswered points, including three coming from service aces by Caylee Cox, to cut the deficit to just one point at 20-19. MU pulled away with back-to-back points, not allowing the Sharks to come closer than two points, and eventually taking the set 25-21.  
 
INSIDE THE STATS:
 

• Tyler-Palmer led both teams with her 16 kills and almost completed the double-double with nine digs.    
• Atherton and Maya Patterson followed Tyler-Palmer with nine kills each, while Atherton recorded a team-high five blocks and Patterson picked up 12 digs.
• Megan Burns led the team with 26 digs, while Samantha Blasko tallied a team-high 20 assists.
• Cox led both teams with her six aces, while also adding 18 assists and 13 digs.
• Kim Blasko put up three blocks while Sydney Lemon had two.

 
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
 

• Cox's six service aces were the most tallied by a Shark in a single match since Samantha Blasko on Sept. 1, 2017.
• Cox's double-double was the first of her Shark career.

 
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP (GAME TWO):
FINAL: L, 0-3 (8-25, 18-25, 16-25)
RECORDS: Nova Southeastern (0-4), Ashland Eagles (3-0)
LOCATION: Kates Gymnasium | Ashland, Ohio
FOLLOW US: @NSUSHARKS on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
SET 1 | Plagued by errors and a strong offense from the host Ashland Eagles, the Sharks didn't have a chance to rally back as they quickly fell into a 23-5 hole, eventually dropping the first set 25-8.
 
SET 2 | Tied at 3-3, the Eagles used an 8-1 run to take the lead 11-4, and not look back. NSU was able to come within three, 19-16, capitalizing on a service error by Ashland, but that would be as close as they would get as the home team went on a 6-2 run to earn a 25-18 win in set two and overall 2-0 advantage.
 
SET 3 | The third set saw the Sharks take an early 4-2 lead before the Eagles used a 5-1 run to steal the lead, 8-5. A kill and an ace by Lemon sparked a 6-1 run by Nova Southeastern, allowing NSU to get the advantage back on their side, 11-9. That would be there last lead of the game, however, as Ashland used five consecutive points to keep the edge on their side once and for all. Back-to-back errors brought the Sharks within one, 16-15, but NSU wasn't able to rally as AU went on a 9-1 run to take a 25-16 victory.
 
INSIDE THE STATS:
 

• Kim Blasko led the Sharks with seven kills, while also adding one block.
• Cox added 10 assists while Samantha Blasko had eight.
• Burns picked up a team-high 16 digs, while Tyler-Palmer had 11 and Cox added seven.
• Lemon recorded two aces.

 
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
 

• This was the second time Ashland and NSU squared off, with the overall series now sitting at 2-0 in the Eagles' favor.

 
 
UP NEXT
 
The Sharks will open up home play on Friday, Aug. 31 as they host the 11th-Annual Shark Invitational. NSU's first game with be against Missouri S&T at 7:00 p.m.
 
 
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Follow along with live updates on Twitter by following @NSU_VBALL.