FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The Nova Southeastern Sharks Volleyball team upset the reigning NCAA Division II National Champion and No. 1 ranked Tampa Spartans in a thrilling five-set match (25-20, 18-25, 25-19, 24-26, 18-16) from the Rick Case Arena on Saturday afternoon. Kate Mihacevich paced the Sharks with a match-best 22 kills.
INSIDE THE MATCH
RECORDS: Nova Southeastern 9-2, 3-1 SSC | No. 1 Tampa 10-1, 3-1 SSC
SCORE: Nova Southeastern 3, No. 1 Tampa 2
LOCATION: Fort Lauderdale, Fla. | Rick Case Arena
GET SOCIAL: Instagram – NSU_VBall; Twitter – NSU_VB; Facebook – Nova Southeastern University Volleyball
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The top-ranked Spartans opened the match with a 5-1 advantage, but the Sharks withstood the early rally by Tampa and tied the set at 12-12.
- With the first set tied at 15-15, Jordan Chessar sparked a 7-0 run for Nova Southeastern to give NSU a 22-15 lead over Tampa.
- Elizabeth Price, Kate Mihacevich, and Taylor Stockman each recorded kills during the run, while Madison Cook added a service ace.
- The Sharks took the first set, 25-20, over the Spartans to take a 1-0 lead in the match.
- In the second set, Price and Brittany Landrum each tallied kills to give NSU a 9-6 advantage.
- Tampa finished the set by taking 7-of-8 points, tying the match at 1-1 with a 25-18 set win.
- The Spartans tied the third set at 7-7, but Mihacevich ended Tampa momentum by leading a 4-0 run for the Sharks.
- Nova Southeastern reclaimed the match lead by winning the third set 25-19, taking advantage of three consecutive Tampa errors to seal the set win.
- Mihacevich added another kill to her ledger to open the fourth set, but the Spartans quickly took a 4-1 lead over NSU.
- Price and Landrum recorded back-to-back kills to tie the fourth set at 14-14.
- After two points from Tampa, the Sharks rallied for a 4-0 run, led by thee kills from Mihacevich.
- Trailing set four 24-23, the Spartans recorded three consecutive points to tie the match at 2-2, sending the SSC Showdown into a decisive fifth set.
- NSU opened the final set with a quick 2-0 lead, but Tampa responded right away.
- Back-to-back kills from Mihacevich and Stockman put NSU ahead 9-7.
- Stockman put the Sharks one point away from taking the match, but the Spartans rallied for three straight points to tie at 14-14.
- The Spartans were one point away from finishing a comeback, but Mihacevich carried the Sharks to the finish, recording the final three points – one block, two kills – to complete the Nova Southeastern upset victory over No. 1 Tampa.
STATS OF THE NIGHT
- Mihacevich (22 kills), Stockman (14), Price (14), Landrum (10) and Jordan Chessar (10) all recorded double-digit kills for NSU.
- Dating back to 2021, the Sharks have handed No. 1 Tampa two of the program’s three defeats, and NSU is the only SSC program to have beaten Tampa in both 2021 and 2022.
UPCOMING
Nova Southeastern travels to Palm Beach to take on the Sailfish of PBA on Tuesday, Sept. 20. First Serve is set for 7 p.m.
