FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – It was a historical day in the Rick Case Arena on Saturday afternoon as the Nova Southeastern volleyball team earned its second win in program history over the Tampa Spartans in a four-set thriller. Falling in the first set, the Sharks rallied back to win the next three over the No. 25 Spartans, breaking a 21-match losing streak.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
FINAL: W, 3-1 (14-25, 25-20, 25-21, 25-22)  
RECORDS: Nova Southeastern Sharks (16-11, 8-8 SSC), No. 25 Tampa Spartans (20-8, 13-4 SSC)
LOCATION: Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.  
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
SET 1 | Down 11-5 in the first set, a kill by Ally Ford sparked a 5-0 run by the Sharks to come within one point at 11-10. After a Tampa timeout, the Spartans had had enough, finishing the set on a 14-4 run to grab an overall 1-0 lead.
 
SET 2 | Tied at 4-4, a Spartan service error and back-to-back blocks by Alex Boone and Gabby Bauch kickstarted a 5-0 run to force Tampa to use their first timeout early. From there, the Sharks were able to hold onto their lead for the remainder of the set, allowing Tampa to come within one point five times until at 18-17, a kill by Ford ignited a 4-0 run to extend NSU's lead to five at 22-17. After a pair of Tampa points, kills by McKenna Tucek and Madison Cook made it set point in favor of the Sharks, 24-19. The Sharks allowed one more Tampa point before a block by Brittany Landrum and Emily Sippel ended it with NSU evening the match with a 25-20 win.
 
SET 3 | The beginning of the third set saw seven ties and three lead changes until at 11-10, a Tucek kill from Cook started a string of five unanswered points tallied by the Sharks, giving NSU a 15-11 lead and costing Tampa their first timeout. The Spartans responded with a 5-1 run, knotting things back up at 16-16. That would be as close as they would get, however as a 4-0 run by NSU capped with a kill by Boone and Tampa error made it 20-16 in Nova Southeastern's favor. Tampa was able to make it a three-point game with NSU at set-point at 24-21, but a service error by the Spartans gave the Sharks the overall 2-1 lead.
 
SET 4 | Down 5-3, a 4-0 run capped with an ace by Emily Sippel gave NSU its first lead of the set. The Spartans were able to tie it at 8-8 before a 4-0 run by the Sharks put the home team back on top, 12-8, forcing UT to use their first timeout. NSU continued to stay out in front, grabbing at most a five-point lead, including at 23-18 as the game came close to an end. A 4-1 rally by the Spartans hinted a comeback, but a Boone kill halted all Tampa hope as the Sharks emerged victorious overall with a 25-22 set four win.
 
INSIDE THE STATS:
 

• Ford was the lone Shark with double-digit kills, adding six digs and three blocks.
• Boone was next with her eight kills, adding seven blocks, including one solo.
• Tucek tallied seven kills and made three blocks, while Landrum put up seven blocks, one solo, to go with six kills.
• Sippel picked up 14 digs and handed out two service aces.
• Cook recorded 20 assists and made it a double-double with 10 digs, while Caylee Cox tallied 17 assists and picked up eight digs.
• Aleyna Kennel logged 10 digs to go with six kills, and Jess Barrett had six digs.

 
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
 

• Today's win breaks a 21-game loss streak to the Spartans, bringing the overall series to 33-2 in favor of Tampa.
• With the win, the Sharks double their Sunshine State Conference wins total from the past two seasons.

 
UP NEXT
 
The Sharks will play their final two home matches of the season next weekend, starting with Florida Southern on Friday, Nov. 9 at 7:00 p.m.
 
SHARKS ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
 
Follow along with live updates on Twitter by following @NSU_VBALL.