FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – Nova Southeastern University Sharks Volleyball started homecoming weekend with a bang, breaking out the brooms for the second consecutive match with a sweep of Florida Southern.
It was one of the best matches of the season for the Sharks hitting .344 as a team, only surpassing that mark once this season in the opening match of the season against Middle Georgia.
Records: Nova Southeastern 13-17 (6-13 SSC) | Florida Southern 16-11 (11-8 SSC)
Location: Rick Case Arena | Fort Lauderdale Fla.
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First Set (25-22, NSU) – In one of the best sets of the season from the Sharks, NSU controlled the pace with 16 kills to just three errors on 31 attacks adding up to hit .419 in the opening frame. NSU scored two points for every one scored by FSC to take a 10-5 lead early and would hold on to that lead for most of the set until the Mocs surged on a 6-1 run to tie the set at 21 apiece. But it was the Sharks who would prevail on four of the next five points using a kill from
Taylor Norris to claim the opening set.
Second Set (25-12, NSU) – The Sharks came out in the second set like they were shot out of a cannon taking the first five points of the set and never looked back only allowing Florida Southern to score on its own serve once in the set.
Caiden Largent and
Natalya Bergant ballooned their kill counts in the set as the Sharks sunk their teeth into the Mocs with a 13-point set victory.
Third Set (25-21, NSU) – Florida Southern would not go down quietly, trying to seek revenge for a five set loss to the Sharks on the Mocs' home floor in Lakeland earlier this season. FSC took an early lead and led by as many as four points in the set before NSU turned the tides with a 6-1 run to take the lead at 13-12. The Sharks and Mocs battled evenly until the Mocs yet again pulled back within a point at 22-21. But it was again the story of the Sharks chomping down on their victims scoring three straight with back-to-back kills from
Hadley Dantzler to set up match point, and a FSC attacking error finishing the job to complete the sweep for the home side.
NSU only utilized the talents of eight Sharks in the win with the starting seven only joined by substitute
Kotryna Melstrad.
Natalya Bergant and
Caiden Largent led the way with 10 kills each with the nod in points going to Bergant with a service ace and six block assists, each earned a double-double.
Abbie Roth led in assists with 37 while libero
Cami Sekanina led in digs with 16 marking a new career-high for her breaking her previous career-high from two seasons ago when she made 14 digs during her time at Jacksonville against crosstown rival North Florida.
Taylor Norris continues to have a stellar ending to her freshman season as she collected seven kills on ten attacks, hitting .700, while earning six total blocks including a solo block and five block assists.
Nova Southeastern finishes its regular season on a big day on campus with NSU's annual homecoming festivities as well as Senior Day for
Caiden Largent,
Dana Gibbons,
Brooke Spurgeon,
Cami Sekanina and
Erika Spankus.
It's a tall task for the Sharks on their biggest home game of the season with No. 4 Tampa coming to town on Saturday, November 14. First serve is set for 4 p.m.
To stay up to date with Nova Southeastern volleyball, follow us on Instagram @NSU_VBall or by logging online to NSUSharks.com.
