WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – Nova Southeastern University Sharks Volleyball went 2-1 in its final non-conference tournament of the season at Lynn/Palm Beach Atlantic's Hyatt Place Bash at the Beach.
NSU took down Trevecca Nazarene and Fort Valley State at the de Hoernle Sports Center on the campus of Lynn University, but fell on Saturday to the University of Indianapolis on the campus of Palm Beach Atlantic University.
(GAME 1)
Records: Nova Southeastern 6-3 (0-0 SSC) | Trevecca Nazarene 2-5 (0-0 GSC)
Location: de Hoernle Sports Center | Boca Raton, Fla.
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First Set (25-12, NSU) – NSU came out of the gates like a cannonball racing out to quick first set victory over a Trevecca Nazarene team that beat the Sharks in five sets in 2025. After the Trojans took a 9-7 lead, the Sharks turned it around scoring 18 of the next 21 points, at one point scoring nine unanswered. Trevecca committed eight attacking errors and hit in the negative percents to help the Sharks take the initial set.
Second Set (25-14, NSU) – The Sharks didn't slow down quickly turning the tides after the first few points of the frame went back-and-forth with the Trojans. NSU went on three different runs of four points or more to help pull away from TNU. Offensively, the Sharks had their best set of the contest hitting .324 with 13 kills to just two errors on 34 attacks. NSU also added four service aces in the frame.
Third Set (26-24, NSU) – Trevecca Nazarene would not go down without a fight, and despite hitting in the negatives kept itself in the set pushing it over 25 points. The Trojans used a couple service aces to go on an 8-0 run to lead 21-13. NSU fought back but still found itself facing set point at 24-19. The Sharks found a couple of blocks from
Hadley Dantzler and
Erika Spankus to get back to a tie with two kills from Spankus completing the match-ending seven-point run.
Bergant, Spankus and
Caiden Largent led the offense with each getting seven or more kills in the sweep of Trevecca Nazarene, no other Shark had more than two kills.
(GAME 2)
Records: Nova Southeastern 7-3 (0-0 SSC) | Fort Valley State 1-4 (0-0 SIAC)
Location: de Hoernle Sports Center | Boca Raton, Fla.
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First Set (25-13, NSU) – With Fort Valley State playing its first Sunshine State Conference team since 2014, the Sharks gave the Wildcats a wake-up call hitting .364 in the opening set with three service aces to go along with it. The core of the set was an eight-point run for the Sharks with two kills each from
Erika Spankus and
Natalya Bergant. Freshman
Callie Largent made her collegiate debut collecting her first career assist to a Bergant kill. In a more heartfelt moment, set point was delivered from one Largent sister to the other as Callie set for Caiden to deliver the winning point of the opening set.
Second Set (25-18, NSU) – The Sharks looked dominant in the early and middle parts of set two, but leading 21-9 the Wildcats decided enough was enough. FVSU went on a 9-0 run with three service aces from Mashayla Collins to cut the NSU lead to just three. But the Sharks put a quick end to the Wildcat rally scoring the next four points, capped by a service ace from
Abbie Roth, the fifth of the set for the Sharks.
Third Set (25-9, NSU) – In one of the best offensive sets of the season, the Sharks hit .478 as a team leading to an early FVSU timeout at 7-1. NSU just seemed like it could not be stopped as
Natalya Bergant,
Hadley Dantzler,
Caiden Largent and
Abbie Roth all collected kills in the midst of a six-point unanswered streak.
Taylor Teaman collected the service ace on match point for the 12
th of the afternoon for NSU.
NSU had its second-highest hitting percentage as a team hitting .330, only outdoing itself in the season-opener against Middle Georgia. The Sharks also matched their season-high in service aces which they also did the week prior against Hillsdale. Spankus had eight aces, setting a new career-high.
(GAME 3)
Records: Nova Southeastern 7-4 (0-0 SSC) | UIndy 10-0 (0-0 GLVC)
Location: Mahoney Gymnasium | West Palm Beach, Fla.
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First Set (25-19, UI) – Moving locations for day two of the Hyatt Place Bash at the Beach, the Sharks struggled to contain the strong offense of UIndy as the Greyhounds hit just shy of .500 in the opening set. NSU was able to lead 5-0 and 9-4 after holding off a Greyhound run to force them to call timeout. But that timeout is just what was needed to spark the offense with the Greyhounds using a 7-0 run to pull away. UIndy would not trail again finishing the set on a NSU attacking error immediately following a UI timeout.
Second Set (25-22, UI) – It was déjà vu, all over again. NSU outraced the Greyhounds taking an 8-1 lead forcing a UIndy timeout. And once again, it was the timeout that spurred the 'Hounds to life. UIndy averaged two points to every one for the Sharks the rest of the way, with a Shark service error giving Indianapolis set point and a 2-0 set lead from the Home of the Sailfish.
Third Set (25-21, UI) – In a do-or-die set for the Sharks, both teams battled back-and-forth. Right after one side took a lead, the other would close the gap immediately. After the Greyhounds led by as many as five, NSU pushed the lead back down to one at 22-21 with an
Abbie Roth service ace. The Greyhounds were finally able to put the Sharks away with a pair of kills from Allison Jansen and Maddie Lynch, combined with a solo block from Jansen to win their tenth-straight match to open the season.
Abbie Roth added 24 assists and now sits at 991 career assists in just her sophomore season. The Shark setter needs nine in the next contest against Florida Tech in the SSC-opener to achieve the milestone. She also collected her fifth double-double of the season, adding ten digs.
Hadley Dantzler continued to shine as the primary middle blocker for
Matt Geer's Sharks with a career-high three solo blocks.
Nova Southeastern opens Sunshine State Conference action on the road against Florida Tech at the Clemente Center in Melbourne, Fla. First serve is set for 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 18.
The Sharks swept the Panthers last season, both in four-set victories. NSU has won 11 of the last 12 meetings between the two schools.
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