FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - The Nova Southeastern Sharks Volleyball team has qualified for the NCAA tournament for the fourth consecutive season, the third under Head Coach Kacie Ehinger, and will face Sunshine State Conference rival Barry in the opening round on Friday afternoon. The NCAA Regional tournament will take place at the de Hoernle Sports Center on the campus of Lynn University.
Each regular season matchs between the Sharks and Buccaneers went the distance, with NSU dropping both in the inaugural "County-Line Cup" clashes.
Seventh-seed Nova Southeastern | 20-10, 11-9 Sunshine State Conference
Led by Sunshine State Conference and AVCA All-South Region first-team honoree Olivia Aniol, NSU won 20 matches for the second consecutive season. Heading into the NCAA Tournament, Aniol is currently tied for the national lead in block assist (130) - setting the single-season program record for the statistic – while also ranking third nationally in total blocks (130), and seventh in blocks/set (1.42).
Taylor Stockman earned the third Sunshine State Conference honor of her career, being named to the all-conference second-team. The junior leads the Sharks in points (395.5), points/set (3.66), service aces (36)m and added 264 digs and 85 blocks.
Kate Mihacevich earned third-team All-Sunshine State Conference honors, tallying 292 kills, 32 service aces, 342.5 points and set a career-best with 34 blocks.
In the regular season matches versus the Buccaneers, Elizabeth Price led the Sharks office with 30 kills, averaging 3.00 per-set, while Mihacevich added 36 points, and Aniol contributed a team-best 11 blocks.
Second-seed Barry | 23-4, 16-4 Sunshine State Conference
Led by two-time Sunshine State Conference Player of the Year Diana Akpova, the Buccaneers return to the NCAA Tournament after going 11-18 during the 2023 season. Four Buccaneers were named to the All-Sunshine State Conference teams, headlined by Akpova, who was joined on the first-team by Eremeeva Veronika, while Varvara Osychenko earned second-team honors and Jeyhlen Thomas was named to the third-team.
Barry enters the NCAA tournament having won each of their last 11 matches, having swept nine-of-11. The only Sunshine State Conference team to take a set over the Buccaneers during their winning streak is the Sharks, who forced five-sets in both matches.
The Sharks and Buccaneers will play at 1:30 p.m. at the de Hoernle Sports Center. For more information on the NCAA South Region Tournament, click here. To stay up-to-date on Sharks Volleyball, be sure to follow on Instagram at NSU_VBall and X at NSU_VB.
