FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – First-year Nova Southeastern head volleyball coach
Brian Rosen has announced the schedule for the 2019 season, slated to begin on Sept. 6 with the first of two Shark Invitationals hosted by NSU this season. The Sharks will compete in 31 matches, including 18 inside the Rick Case Arena.
A brand-new team with 12 new faces, the Sharks will match up against three nationally-ranked teams, all coming from the Sunshine State Conference, including 2018 Div. II National Champions Tampa.
"Our coaching staff and players could not be more excited to get started this fall," explained Rosen. "We have the opportunity to open up the season with two home tournaments that should give us a great idea of our potential for Sunshine State Conference play. We will be tested right away, but that is exactly what we need as four of our first six conference matches will be against teams that made the NCAA Tournament this past season, including Barry who won the SSC Championship and Tampa who won the National Championship. There are no easy matches in this conference, and I can't wait to see this new team compete each and every day."
The first action of the season will be in the Rick Case Arena as the Sharks host their 12th-Annual Shark Invitational, welcoming six teams to Fort Lauderdale Sept. 6-7. NSU will face off against Bluefield State, Shaw, Millersville and University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez over the weekend, while Truman State and Lewis University will also be in attendance.
For the first time, NSU will host back-to-back invitationals, welcoming another six teams the following weekend, Sept. 13-14. The Sharks will square off against South Region competitor Valdosta State and Southern New Hampshire on Friday, while closing out the tournament against Grand Valley State and Belmont Abbey on Saturday.
A week later the Sharks will kick off SSC play, hosting Palm Beach Atlantic on Sept. 20 before traveling to Miami Shores the next afternoon to take on the aforementioned 2018 SSC champions Barry. The next week will see two home matches, the first against Lynn on Sept. 24 and then Rollins on the 27th.
A game against the 2018 NCAA Div. II Champions Tampa Spartans on Oct. 4 will spark a four-game road streak, as NSU will also play Saint Leo (Oct. 5), Eckerd (Oct. 11) and Florida Southern (Oct. 12).
Taking a break from league play, Nova Southeastern will travel to Hoover, Ala. to compete in the Gulf South Conference-hosted South Region Crossover Oct. 18-19. The Sharks will play in three games during the tournament, which will be announced the Sunday before competition.
NSU will return to the Rick Case Arena for their next three games, hosting Barry for a midweek game on Oct. 22 before taking on Florida Tech and Embry-Riddle on Friday and Saturday, respectively. The next week sees the opposite as the Sharks will play three-consecutive games on the road, first traveling to Palm Beach Atlantic on Oct. 29 before Rollins on Nov. 2 and Lynn on Nov. 5.
The Sharks' final four home games will come from back-to-back weekends Nov. 8-9 and Nov. 15-16. NSU will host Saint Leo and Tampa before welcoming Florida Southern and Eckerd to the Shark Tank for senior weekend.
The 2019 season will close out on the road, heading north to Daytona Beach on Nov. 22 to compete against the Embry-Riddle Eagles before wrapping up against Florida Tech the next afternoon.
The NCAA II postseason starts on Dec. 5 with regional play. If the team finishes the season ranked among the top eight teams in the South Region, or if NSU wins the SSC Regular Season Championship (the SSC does not have a conference tournament for volleyball), they would qualify for the 64-team NCAA II Championship field.
For a full version of the 2019 volleyball schedule,
CLICK HERE.