FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Nova Southeastern Volleyball finished off a perfect opening weekend, picking up a pair of victories on Saturday from the Rick Case Arena. The Sharks defeated Dominican (NY) in three sets in the early afternoon and returned to defeat Bentley in a thrilling four-set match 3-1.


Scores: (Game One) Nova Southeastern 3, Dominican 0; (Game Two) Nova Southeastern 3, Bentley 1
Records: Nova Southeastern
Location: Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
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(Game One)

• Nova Southeastern got out to an early 3-0 lead in the match, taking advantage of a pair of errors by the Chargers.
• Taylor Stockman recorded three consecutive points for the Sharks, including back-to-back service aces, as the Sharks extended their lead to 8-4.
• The Chargers scored four unanswered points, taking an 11-10 lead. Kate Mihacevich ended the brief rally by Dominican, tying the opening set at 11-11.
• Elizabeth Price started a 12-1 run, leading the Sharks to the first set win, 25-15. Stockman recorded five points during the rally and added a pair of service aces.
• Nova Southeastern began the second set on a 6-0 run, which featured three straight service aces from Kate Mihacevich.
• Following a point from Dominican, Price sparked another long-run as the Sharks extended their lead to 14-1. Brittany Landrum, Maddy Hooper, Varshini Panuganti, and Stockman all contributed points during the rally.
• NSU continued to dominate in the second set, closing out the frame with a 25-14 win and taking a 2-0 lead in the match.
• Trailing 8-5 in the third set, Jordan Chessar sparked a 5-0 run for Nova Southeastern and gave the Sharks a 10-8 advantage.
• Dominican responded with a 5-0 rally of their own, reclaiming the lead at 13-10.
• The Sharks took over the match with another long rally, this time led by three services aces by Landrum, with NSU taking a 16-13 advantage over the Chargers.
• Nova Southeastern finished off the third set, winning 25-20, completing the sweep and improving to 2-0 on the season.

Head Coach Kacie Ehinger – "I loved the way our passers performed in this match, we were in system for the majority of the time and when we are in system, we can cause a lot of stress on opposing blockers. Gabrielle and Nyah did a great job distributing the ball evenly and getting our attackers good looks."


(Game Two)

• Nadia Lindner made her NSU debut in the final match of the Shark Invitational and made an immediate impact on the floor. Lindner opened the match with a kill, which led an early 6-3 run by Nova Southeastern.
• Bentley rallied for five straight points, taking an 8-6 advantage, but the Sharks responded with a 7-2 run, capitalizing on five errors by the Falcons.
• Nova Southeastern and Bentley battled back-and forth for the remainder of the set, but the Sharks pulled out the opening set victory 25-23.
• The second set was contested as tightly as the first, with both NSU and Bentley trading points throughout. NSU ultimately dropped the set 23-25, tying the match at 1-1.
• In the third set, both the Sharks and the Falcons were unable to generate much separation from each other. Madison Cook recorded back-to-back service aces, giving Nova Southeastern a 13-12 lead midway through the set.
• Lindner and Taylor Stockman led a 4-0 rally for the Sharks, putting NSU ahead 17-14.
• A service ace from Elizabeth Price, followed by a kill from Lindner, put the Sharks in front 24-19, before NSU closed out the set win 25-20.
• Nova Southeastern jumped out to a 5-2 lead in the fourth set, capitalizing on four Falcon errors.
• Olivia Aniol and Varshini Panuganti contributed points, putting NSU ahead 13-11.
• Lindner continued her stellar debut for the Sharks, recording four more kills down the stretch, as the Sharks finished off the four-set win over Bentley with a 25-22 fourth set win.

All-Tournament Team
Taylor Stockman, Nova Southeastern (Co-MVP)
Brittany Landrum, Nova Southeastern
Olivia Aniol, Nova Southeastern
Seiler Hruska, Eckerd (Co-MVP)
Ashley Eck, Eckerd
Jaida Clark, Eckerd
Ellie Wheeler, Bentley
Jazzy Burke, Bentley
Elizabeth Blinn, Bentley
Catiei Flohr, Seton Hill
Maddie Stout, Seton Hill
Aaliyah Ellis, Dominican


Nova Southeastern returns to action on Friday, September 8, taking on Maryville in West Palm Beach, Fla. First serve is set for 5 p.m.
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