HOOVER, Ala. – Beginning play in the 2019 South Region Crossover hosted by the Gulf South Conference, the Nova Southeastern volleyball team split a pair of games in the Finley Center. To start things off, the Sharks topped the Mississippi College Choctaws, 3-1, before falling in a marathon five-setter to the Union Bulldogs.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP (GAME ONE):
FINAL: W, 3-1 (25-14, 23-25, 25-15, 25-19)
RECORDS: Nova Southeastern Sharks (11-6), Mississippi College Choctaws (7-14)
LOCATION: Finley Center | Hoover, Ala.
FOLLOW US: @NSUSHARKS on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
SET 1 | The Sharks were the first to score in the first set, and after two ties, the Sharks used a 4-0 run to put the advantage on their side once and for all. A kill by Emily Sippel sparked a 6-0 run by NSU, giving the Sharks a 16-8 lead and forcing MC to use both of their timeouts. A 3-0 run by the Choctaws brought them within five points at 16-11, but that would be as close as they would get as the Sharks took off on a 5-0 run, capped with a block by Brittany Landrum and Gabby Bauch, to grab their largest lead of the set, 21-11. Mississippi College was able to tally three more points late, but a kill by Amanda Hall sealed the 25-14 win for NSU.
 
SET 2 | Unlike the first game, MC jumped out to a 5-0 start, and it was the Sharks who had to fight back. At 12-7 in MC's favor, a 3-0 run brought NSU within two, 12-10, before the Choctaws called for a timeout. From there, Mississippi College began to pull away, going up by as many as seven points at 21-14, and again at 23-16. The Sharks weren't done, however, as a kill by Alex Boone ignited a 7-1 run to bring NSU within one at 24-23. The comeback wasn't enough in the end as a kill by the Choctaws ended the match and evened the overall score to a set apiece.
 
SET 3 | The beginning of the third set was neck-and-neck as the two teams stayed within two points of each other. This changed when the Sharks held a 9-8 lead, as an error by the Choctaws allowed NSU to take off on a 13-3 run, giving the Sharks an overwhelming 22-11 advantage. The two teams exchanged points back and forth until Hall recorded her second game-ending kill of the match to put the Sharks back out in front, 2-1, with a 25-15 set three win.
 
SET 4 | The Sharks trailed just once in the fourth set, early on at 3-2. From there, a 4-0 run by NSU put the advantage on the Sharks' side and NSU was able to hold onto it throughout the remainder of the set. At 12-7, the Choctaws used a 5-1 run to come within one, 13-12, and were able to cut the deficit to one again at 15-14, but that was the closest MC would get to overtaking the Sharks. At 19-17, a 4-0 run by the Sharks, starting and ending with kills by Emily Sippel, brought NSU within two points of a win. Ultimately, a kill by Sippel and an error by MC were enough for the Sharks to walk away with the 3-1 overall win.
 
INSIDE THE STATS:
 

• Sippel notched a team-leading 16 kills, while also adding two aces and two blocks. She also made six digs.
• Boone was next with her 13 kills, making zero errors for a .813 hitting percentage. She also added three blocks.
• McKenna Tucek recorded six kills and Bauch had five, while Tucek picked up three digs and Bauch assisted on three blocks.
• Landrum tallied four kills and four blocks, while both Hall and Sami Spadaro also put down four kills.
• Aleyna Kennel picked up a game-high 20 digs while adding four assists.
• Madison Cook and Caylee Cox once again logged double-digit assists, recording 23 and 18, respectively. Cox was also one dig away from a double-double with nine.

 
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• The win evens the overall series record to an even 1-1.
• Kennels 20 digs signified her third 20+ dig game of the season, while Cook's 23 assists made it her eighth game with 20+ assists.
• The Sharks forced the Choctaws to finishing with a -.008 hitting percentage, the first time this season opponents have hit negative against NSU.

 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP (GAME TWO):
FINAL: L, 2-3 (22-25, 25-13, 25-23, 22-25, 12-15)
RECORDS: Nova Southeastern Sharks (11-7), Union Bulldogs (13-7)
LOCATION: Finley Center | Hoover, Ala.
FOLLOW US: @NSUSHARKS on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
SET 1 | Although the Sharks were trailing 19-11 in the first set, the Sharks wouldn't give up. A kill by Alex Boone got things going, as the Sharks used a 7-3 run to come within four, 22-18. A block by the Bulldogs pushed it to 23-18, before another run by NSU, this time four unanswered points capped with an ace by Madison Cook made it just a one-point game at 23-22. The furious comeback wouldn't hold, however, as back-to-back blocks by Union ended the game with Union on top 25-22.
 
SET 2 | Tied at 4-4, NSU took advantage of an 8-1 run to earn a 12-5 lead. The two teams exchanged a string of points, before at 18-13 with the Sharks out in front, a kill by Emily Sippel ignited a 6-0 run to close out the second game, giving Nova Southeastern a commanding 25-13 win to even the match at a set apiece.

SET 3 | The of the third set was the closest set of the night, seeing 10 ties and six lead changes. Tied at 14-14, back-to-back errors by Union gave the Sharks a two-point lead at 16-14. A kill by Gabby Bauch made it 17-15 in favor of the Sharks, before Union used a 5-0 run to take a 20-17 lead. NSU retaliated, coming back with a 5-1 run to retake the lead at 22-21. A Bulldog kill tied it up once more, before kills by Amanda Hall and Brittany Landrum and a block by Landrum and Bauch pushed the Sharks to a 25-23 win.
 
SET 4 | Once again tied at 4-4, it was the Bulldogs' turn to take off on a 7-1 run to take an 11-5 lead and force NSU to call for a timeout. Union was able to stay out by at least five points until a block by Landrum and Bauch sparked five unanswered points tallied by the Sharks, bringing them within one point at 21-20. After back-to-back kills by UU, a kill by McKenna Tucek and a Bulldog error brought NSU within one again at 23-22. That would be the closest, however, as Union took advantage of two Shark errors to force a fifth set.
 
SET 5 | The Bulldogs were the first to eight points in the fifth, and as the two teams switched sides, the Sharks rattled off three-straight points to take the lead, 9-8, and force Union to call for a timeout. Union responded with a 5-1 run, taking a 13-10 edge. NSU was able to cut the deficit to one at 13-12 thanks to a UU error and a kill by Tucek, but it was Union who ended up the overall winner in the end, 15-12.
 
INSIDE THE STATS:
 

• Tucek led the Sharks with 17 kills, while Emily Sippel tallied 14. Sippel completed the double-double, picking up a team-high 16 digs.
• Landrum notched 10 kills, with three block assists and one solo block. She also made three digs.
• Boone added nine kills as well as three block assists and one solo with four digs.
• Aleyna Kennel and Jess Barrett each picked up 12 digs.
• Caylee Cox recorded 32 assists, while Cook chipped in 29. Cox also had a double-double with 14 digs.

 
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• Cox's 32 assists were not only a season-high, but a career-high, surpassing her previous career-high of 31 set on Sept. 7 against Truman State.
• Tucek's 17 kills were also a season-high.
• The loss brings the overall series to 2-1 in favor of NSU.

 
 
UP NEXT
 
The Sharks will wrap up play in the 2019 South Region Crossover on Saturday afternoon, taking on the Montevallo Falcons at 1:30 p.m. CST.

 
SHARKS ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
 
Follow along with live updates on Twitter by following @NSU_VBALL.