Nova Southeastern Defeats Wingate In NCAA Volleyball Tournament

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Nova Southeastern University volleyball team survived a valiant effort by Wingate University Wednesday, overcoming a 1-0 deficit to take a 3-1 victory (24-30, 30-27, 30-24, 30-21) in the first round of the NCAA Division II South Region tournament at the Bob Martinez Sports Center on the campus of the University of Tampa.

The NSU Sharks (26-9 overall) advance to face No. 14 Florida Southern College Friday at 5 p.m. in the regional semi-finals. Wingate finishes the 2007 campaign 33-2 overall. The Bulldogs had won 24 matches in a row entering the South Regional.

"I was proud of our team today," Wingate head coach Shelton Collier said. "With only a day-and-a-half to prepare, we did a great job with our game plan. (I thought) we played very well for much of the match today."

Wingate freshman middle blocker Stormi Gale (Richmond, Texas) led the Bulldog offense with 15 kills. The South Atlantic Conference Freshman of the Year added 10 digs, five block assists and two service aces. Bulldog senior setter Melissa DeLuca (Bahama, N.C.) had 36 assists, seven digs, three kills and two service aces.

The Bulldogs never trailed in game one, hitting .293 in the first frame (16 kills, four errors, 41 total attacks). Nova Southeastern hit only .133 in the opening game. The Sharks stepped it up in game two, hitting .342. NSU hit .205 in game three and .371 in game four.

In game two, Wingate led 22-20 on a Gale service ace. A kill by freshman outside hitter Heather Myklebust (Sugar Land, Texas) kept the lead at 25-23. The Sharks responded with four unanswered points and never looked back.

Nova Southeastern stayed one step ahead of Wingate in game three, as the Sharks took the lead and kept it the entire game. In game four, the Bulldogs led 12-11 on a kill by Gale. NSU scored six consecutive points to take a 17-12 advantage. Wingate would get no closer than four points the rest of the way.

Collier believes the 2007 season will be a building block for the Bulldogs. "Our seniors have given so much to this program," Collier acknowledged. "Our young players will be well-prepared for future success as a result of this season."

The Bulldogs made quite an impression on host head coach Chris Catanach of the University of Tampa, the defending national champions. "The Wingate volleyball team represented themselves, the University and the SAC very well today," Catanach said. "I was very impressed with (Wingate's) ability to consistently execute the game plan. It didn't matter whether they were ahead or behind, they played with great composure, energy and enthusiasm."

"Stormi Gale had a very solid performance, leading her team in kills, aces and blocks," Catanach continued. "I thought Melissa DeLuca made great setting decisions; she was accurate and smooth in her delivery. I'm sure the team was disappointed, but I'm sure everyone watching was impressed with (Wingate's) performance."

2007 University of Tampa Volleyball
Wingate vs Nova Southeastern (Nov 15, 2007 at Tampa, Fla.)

Nova Southeastern def. Wingate 3-1 (24-30, 30-27, 30-24, 30-21)

Wingate (33-2 overall) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Stormi Gale 15-2-5; Rebecca Bloemer 9-0-3; Rachelle Rostas 7-0-2; Heather Myklebust 6-0-0; Kathryn Reddick 4-0-5; Melissa DeLuca 3-2-0; Amanda Siegrist 0-1-0; Lauren Billo 0-1-1; Totals 44-6-8.0. (Assists) - Melissa DeLuca 36. (Dig leaders) - Chelsea Cancelliere 17; Stormi Gale 10; Brittany Horner 9

Nova Southeastern (26-9 overall) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Aley Tallman 18-2-2; Melinda Gorman 13-1-5; Emily Carle 9-4-3; Christina Chubb 9-0-0; Valia Petrova 9-0-3; Paola Ruiz 7-3-2; Totals 65-10-8.0. (Assists) - Valia Petrova 49. (Dig leaders) - Valia Petrova 18; Aley Tallman 14; Kathleen Yony 13; Alison Kalish 10; Paola Ruiz 8

Site: Tampa, Florida (Martinez Center)
Date: 11/15/07 Attend: 50 Time: 1:55
Referees: Keith Murless, Rebecca Carstensen