Box Score DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – In its first road match of the 2017 season, the Sharks held on to defeat the host Embry-Riddle Eagles in a five set thriller on Friday evening.  
 
INSIDE THE MATCHUP:
FINAL: W, 3-2 (26-24, 16-25, 19-25, 25-23, 16-14)
RECORDS: Nova Southeastern Sharks (3-2), Embry-Riddle Eagles (3-3)
LOCATION: ICI Center | Daytona Beach, Fla.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
SET 1 | The Sharks started hot right out of the gate, grabbing an early 7-2 lead before the Eagles called their first timeout. ERAU returned to the court with a 7-2 run of their own to tie the game, 9-9. At 10-10 a kill by Maya Patterson gave the Sharks back their lead, one they would hold for the rest of the set.
 
SET 2 | Game two saw the exact opposite of the first set, as the Eagles held the momentum on their side throughout the entire set. The Sharks were able to get within one, 10-9, with a kill by Nicole Rivera, but that would be the closest they would get as the Eagles took off on a 15-7 run to seal the set and knot the match 1-1.
 
SET 3 | Embry-Riddle continued to keep the momentum on their side heading into the third, as the Eagles held the lead all set. A kill by Megan Burns and an error by ERAU brought the Sharks within three, 19-16, but the Eagles would take back control to earn a 25-19 win.
 
SET 4 | Down 8-3 in the final set, the Sharks rallied with an 8-2 run, capped by a solo block by Jane Early to steal the lead, 11-10. A kill by Denvyr Tyler-Palmer and another Eagle error gave NSU a 14-12 lead by a 4-0 run by Embry-Riddle would give them the lead until at 23-19, the Sharks exploded for a 6-0 run of their own to steal game four, 25-23, and force a fifth set.
 
SET 5 | Tied 8-8 in the final set, the Eagles used a kill by Erika Barbour and a Shark error to force the Sharks to call timeout at 10-8. The Sharks bounced back with a 3-1 run to knot the game, 11-11, until they used their final timeout as the Eagles went up, 13-11. A kill by Jane Early and an error tied the game once more, 13-13. Another kill by Barbour gave ERAU their last lead, 14-13, before back-to-back kills by Tyler-Palmer and a hitting error by ERAU sealed the win for the Sharks, 16-14.
 
INSIDE THE STATS:

• Tyler-Palmer led the Sharks with a .207 hitting percentage, tallying 21 kills in 58 attempts. She completed her third double-double of the season with 13 digs.
• Megan Burns picked up 21 digs, a team-high, bringing her 13 digs away from Itza Miranda for third place in career digs (1,218).
• Early picked up seven blocks, while Nicole Rivera added six, both career highs. 

 
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• This is the first meeting since Embry-Riddle became a full Sunshine State Conference member last month, and the sixth meeting since the Sharks became a full member for the 2004-2005 season, with both team coming from NAIA's Florida Sun Conference.
• The Sharks snapped a six-game road losing streak coming from 2016 with tonight's win. Their last road win was October 1, 2016 in their last trip up to Daytona Beach to face the Eagles.

 
UP NEXT
 
The Sharks will continue on the road tomorrow as they travel to Melbourne, Fla. to take on SSC member Florida Tech. In 2016, NSU and FIT split the series, 1-1.
 
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