WINTER PARK, Fla. –
Sophomore right side hitter Caitlin
Vyborny blasted a career-high 15 kills as the Tars fell behind
2-0 in the match to mount its best comeback of the season to defeat
Nova Southeastern, 3-2 (20-25, 20-25, 25-21, 25-23, 15-13) in front
of a rambunctious Warden Arena crowd, Saturday evening in Rollins'
regular-season finale.
A native of Machesney Park, Ill., Vyborny gave the spectators
something to cheer about when she slammed 11 of her 15 kills in the
final three sets to deny the Sharks (21-11, 9-7 SSC)attempt at
spoiling the "Senior Day" event. Vyborny also led the Tars with a
.294 (15K 5E 34TA) hitting percentage.
A defensive charged Tars (19-18, 4-12 SSC) squad proved to be the
difference in the contest holding NSU to under a .200 attacking
percentage. Single-season digs leader, Phoebe
Corder, increased her season effort with 20 digs as she
finishes with a total to 699. Outside hitters Stephanie
Nichols and Nikki Hartman added 19 and 14 digs respectively,
while senior setter Lacey Malarky rounded out the double-digit
efforts with 11.
Rollins out-blocked the Sharks 6-5 with Nichols recording the
team-best assisting in three of them.
In her final match at Rollins, Malarky added 37 assists to improve
her all-time record mark to 5,273.
In the first two sets, the Sharks dominated the match capturing two
25-20 victories. After being limited to 17 kills and a hitting
percentage of .069 in the first two frames, Rollins bounced back in
full force to stage one of the greatest comebacks in the program's
history.
Trailing 2-0 after the intermission, Rollins built a 6-3 lead after
kills from its hitters, Vyborny and Hartman. The Sharks closed the
gap to tie the match at 10, but a 7-2 run by the Tars that included
three Vyborny kills, gave Rollins its largest lead of the set. NSU
again countered cutting the deficit to two at 21-19, but three
attacking errors secured the fate of the Sharks.
Gaining momentum, Rollins continued its relentless pursuit hitting
.342, a match-high, in the fourth frame. Backed behind six Vyborny
kills, Rollins and NSU played even volleyball throughout the set.
Neither team built a lead larger than five points in the fourth
frame, as Rollins took an early 9-6 lead. After scoring four
unanswered points, the Sharks regained the lead only to surrender
it on the ensuing point on a Vyborny kill. The schools exchanged
the next 14 points to tie the match at 17.
Rollins made its run scoring five-straight points culminated by
back-to-back kills from Hartman and Vyborny. With the 22-17 lead,
the Sharks refused to go away and cut the lead to two at 23-21.
After a service error, NSU scored the next two points on a Melinda
Gorman kill and ace to trail 24-23. The Tars responded going to
its middle Jenny Sherwood on a quick set from Malarky to
claim the victory and push the match to a fifth set.
Despite registering only two kills, Rollins mustered its gusty set
of the season. In a nail-biting set, Rollins' adrenaline gave it
the early edge leading 7-4. The Sharks attack allowed for them to
fight back to take a 10-9 lead. A Nichols kill down the line
preceded a Malarky ace and a Hartman blast to give the Tars a 12-10
advantage. Outside hitter Christina Chubb answered for NSU, but a
service error gave the Tars a two-point lead. An Emily Carle kill
and a Rollins' attacking error tied the match at 13. After a ball
handling and attacking error charged to the Sharks, the Tars
claimed the 15-13 victory.
Prior to the match, the Tars honored its three seniors, Lacey
Malarky, Tori Ratcliffe and Stephanie
Nichols for their hard work and dedication throughout their
four years at Rollins.
