WINTER PARK, Fla. (November 5, 2021) - The Rollins Tars fell in their final home game of the season to the #17 Nova Southeastern Sharks, losing 3-0 on Friday evening. The loss drops the Tars to 7-19 (2-14 SSC) on the season, while Nova Southeastern improves to 21-3 (12-2 SSC).
How it Happened:
- The first set provided plenty of tension as the two teams engaged in a hard-fought battle. Rollins jumped out to an early lead on the back of a pair of aces from senior Rebecca Kuehn. The Tars maintained a healthy cushion for the next few minutes, capped at 13-9. Six kills from five players highlighted the early run from the Tars. Nova was able to make a small run to knot the score up at 13 thanks to two aces from Preslee Brooksbank. After some back-and-forth from both teams, Nova looked poised to run away with the win. Trailing 24-21, the Tars forced four straight attack errors from the Sharks to tie the score at 24. Unfortunately a service error and a Nova block ended the set at 26-24. The teams tied seven times in the set.
- Nova Southeastern controlled things from the jump in set two, going up 7-1. The Tars did not give up, and were able to score five straight, including a pair of aces from Lana Gerard, to pull within two. The Sharks put a stop to the run with a five-point streak of their own, making the score 15-8. Rollins never had a chance to get back, and ended up falling 25-18 in set two.
- It was another quick start in set three for Nova, as they scored the first four points. Two kills from Gerard put the Tars on the board, but Nova kept the pressure on. Trailing 11-5, Rollins scored five of the next six thanks to three errors from Nova to make the score 12-10. The two teams then entered a swap meet, exchanging points almost every possession for the next few moments. Following a Rollins timeout, the Tars played inspired ball, taking six of the next seven points to claim a 21-19 advantage. A number of long rallies showcased the talents of both teams, but in the end, five attack errors from the Sharks put Rollins ahead. Gerard added a kill and her fourth ace of the match to make the score 23-21. A timeout from Nova head coach Brian Rosen squashed the momentum, and whatever he said in the huddle worked. The final four points of the match all went the Sharks' way, with a block from Bruna Avila and Brittany Landrum sealing the 25-23 victory.
Gerard had a nice game for Rollins, leading the Tars with nine kills to go with four aces, three blocks and ten digs.
Andie Baldridge had eight kills and eleven digs for Rollins.
Alexis Yeager was a monster at the net, totaling seven blocks in the match to go with four kills.
Before the game, Rollins honored the five seniors on the team ...
Candace Doxey,
Jessika Linnemeyer,
Marlee Johnson,
Rebecca Kuehn, and
Adriane Griffith ... in their final home match at Warden arena.
Four more road games remain on the Tars' schedule in 2021. They will travel to St. Petersburg to face the Eckerd Tritons on Tuesday with first serve scheduled for 7:00 pm.
