FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern volleyball team coined the slogan "Fear the Frenzy" this season, and Friday in the Rick Case arena proved just what they meant. The squad, featuring 12 newcomers, picked up its first two wins of the season on day one of the 12th-Annual Shark Invitational, downing Shaw in straight sets before fighting back in a five-set thriller to top Millersville in the nightcap.
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP (GAME ONE):
FINAL: W, 3-0 (25-14, 25-18, 25-21)
RECORDS: Nova Southeastern Sharks (1-0), Shaw Bears (0-1)
LOCATION: Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
SET 1 | The first set went back-and-forth between the two teams before Shaw put down a pair of kills to take the lead, 5-3. The Sharks responded with a 4-0 run, sparked by a kill by Ally Ford, to take a 7-5 lead and force the Bears to take their first timeout. The Sharks continued to add to their lead, using a 9-1 run at 13-10 to take a game-high 11-point lead, 22-11. Shaw was able to add three points to their side, but a kill by McKenna Tucek ended the set with the Sharks on top, 25-14.
 
SET 2 | The second set saw the Bears jump out in front, 3-1, before NSU rattled off six unanswered points, including two service aces by Aleyna Kennel, to give the Sharks a 7-3 lead, one they would never let go of. At 17-12 in favor of NSU, Shaw used a 4-0 run to come within one, 17-16, before a kill by Evelyn Kinsch prevented the tie and was the start of three-straight points tallied by the Sharks to make it 20-16. After a pair of Shaw points, NSU seemed to have enough, finishing the set with a 5-0 run, as an ace by Jess Barrett sealed the deal.
 
SET 3 | NSU continued to show its strength at the service line, tallying its ninth ace of the game to kickstart the third set, this time by Caylee Cox. The Sharks put up another pair of points to extend their lead, 3-0, and continued to hold that lead for the remainder of the set. The Bears were able to knot the game three more times, before a 6-1 run ignited by a kill by Tucek pushed the home team out in front 15-9. A 5-0 run by Shaw cut the game to two points late in the set, 22-20, before an NSU timeout seemed to do the trick as the Sharks came out with a 3-1 run to win, 25-21.
 
INSIDE THE STATS:
 

• In her career debut, Kinsch came out swinging, tallying 10 kills out of 16 attempts with only one error for a .563 hitting percentage. Tucek was right behind her with nine kills, while also picking up five digs.
• Ford recorded seven kills in her first game as a Shark, with one ace.
• Sami Spadaro and Gabby Bauch both put down four kills, and Amanda Hall had three.
• Running a 5-1 offense, Caylee Cox and Madison Cook split time at the setting position, tallying 14 and 17 assists, respectively. Cox also added three aces, while Cook had three of her own.
• Kennel picked up 12 digs to go along with two service aces.

 
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
 

• As a team, the Sharks recorded 11 aces, the most recorded since the last Shark Invitational on Sept. 1, 2018 against Texas A&M International.
• This was the second time in program history the two South Region teams have faced off, bringing the overall series record to 2-0 in NSU's favor.

 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP (GAME TWO):
FINAL: W, 3-2 (23-25, 16-25, 25-18, 25-13, 15-12)
RECORDS: Nova Southeastern Sharks (2-0), Millersville Marauders (0-2)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
SET 1 | Starting the match, the two teams stayed within two points of each other until at 12-12, the Marauders took advantage of a 6-1 run, grabbing an 18-13 lead and forcing the Sharks to take a timeout. Coming out of the huddle, a kill by Kinsch and an ace by Ford cut it to three points, 18-15, but Millersville wouldn't let up, continuing to add points and taking their largest lead of the set at 24-18. Nova Southeastern wouldn't bow out that easy, however, tallying five unanswered points including two blocks by Alex Boone and Bauch to cut the deficit to one, 24-23. MU was able to halt NSU's comeback, finishing the set with a kill by Lindsey Blevins.
 
SET 2 | Unlike the first set, it was Millersville that jumped out early, taking a 14-9 lead while forcing NSU to use both of their timeouts in that time. The Sharks fought back, coming within four at 17-13 thanks to a hitting error by the Marauders. The visitors on the scoreboard had had enough, closing out the second set on a 8-3 run to grab a 2-0 overall lead with a 25-16 win.
 
SET 3 | Tied at 10-10, Nova Southeastern got the ball rolling, putting the advantage on their side for good with a kill by Boone. NSU continued to stay out in front, going ahead by four points late in the set at 20-16 due to an MU error. A kill by the Marauders cut it to three, 21-18, before NSU strung together four-straight points, capped with a kill by Ford to prevent the sweep, bringing it to 2-1 overall.
 
SET 4 | The Sharks were firing on all cylinders in the fourth set, quickly taking a 12-1 lead. At 14-3, Millersville had already exhausted both of their timeouts, and the Sharks continued to put on the pressure going on a 7-3 run, capped with a kill by Tucek, for an overwhelming 21-6 lead. Despite Millersville's best efforts, the Sharks were able to hold off the Marauders from coming within 10 points, taking advantage of a service error to win set four, 25-13, and force a fifth and final set.
 
SET 5 | In the final set, the Sharks speedily took a 4-1 lead, before Millersville crawled back to knot the game 6-6 with a kill by Blevins. The Sharks responded with a run of their own, taking back the lead, 9-6, with a kill by Ford and back-to-back aces by Kennel. The game saw two more ties before at 10-10, NSU took the lead with a kill by Bauch, and went on to earn the come-from-behind victory with a 15-12 win in the fifth.
 
INSIDE THE STATS:
 

• Ford led all Sharks with 19 kills, while Boone was right behind with 18. Boone also was a wall at the net, putting up seven blocks.
• Bauch joined the two in double digit kills with her 15, hitting .389 on the night. She also added six blocks.
• Kinsch played well on both sides of the ball, notching five kills, three aces and five blocks.
• Cox recorded a double-double with her 27 assists and 11 digs to go along with four service aces. Cook also logged a double-double, tallying 23 assists and 14 digs.
• Kennel collected a game-high 25 digs and also served three aces.
• As a team, the Sharks put up 13 blocks.

 
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
 

• Cox's 27 assists were a career-high, topping her previous high of 25 vs. Saint Leo (11/3/18).
• NSU's 13 team blocks were the most recorded by the Sharks since a five-set loss at Saint Leo on Nov. 3, 2017.

 
UP NEXT
 
The Sharks will conclude play in the Shark Invitational on Saturday, taking on Truman State at 11:30 a.m. and closing out with Puerto Rico-Mayaguez at 5:00 p.m.
 
 
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Follow along with live updates on Twitter by following @NSU_VBALL.