Lynn University

BOCA RATON, Fla. - Lynn volleyball kept rolling Tuesday night, overpowering Nova Southeastern in straight sets, 25-22, 25-11, 25-18, inside the de Hoernle Sports and Cultural Center.
 
The Fighting Knights seized control late in a competitive opening set before turning the match into a rout in the second, using a devastating run from the service line to overwhelm the Sharks. Lynn finished with nine aces and seven blocks while holding Nova Southeastern to a .037 hitting percentage, including a negative percentage in each of the final two sets.
 
Lira Pukl Verdel paced the attack with 12 kills and 15 points, while reigning back-to-back SSC Setter of the Week Ula Gorjup stuffed the stat sheet with 28 assists, four aces, six digs and two kills.
 
The victory extends Lynn's winning streak to five matches, with each of its last four victories coming via sweep and improves the Fighting Knights to 14-2 overall and 6-1 in Sunshine State Conference play.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Set One: Lynn 25, Nova Southeastern 22
- Nova Southeastern came out firing and built an early 10-7 advantage before Lynn began working its way back into the frame
- Gorjup stepped to the service line and sparked the response, firing an ace during a run that gave the Fighting Knights their first lead at 11-10
- The Sharks briefly regained control at 14-12, but Lynn answered again as Clara Maidantchik delivered an ace before Alexia Radulovic and Lillia Neill helped power a surge that put the Fighting Knights ahead 17-14
- Neill took over late in the set, putting away four kills as Lynn stretched its advantage to 22-17
- Nova refused to go quietly and pulled within 23-21, but Pukl Verdel answered with a crucial kill to bring Lynn to set point
- After the Sharks fought off the first opportunity, Radulovic slammed home the clinching kill to secure the 25-22 victory
- Lynn hammered 19 kills in the opening set while hitting .271
 
Set Two: Lynn 25, Nova Southeastern 11
- The Fighting Knights wasted little time taking control of the second, turning a 2-2 tie into a 7-2 advantage behind kills from Radulovic and Zara Rendic and an ace from Maidantchik
- Lynn continued to pour it on as Pukl Verdel and Rendic powered the attack, pushing the advantage to 12-4
- With the Fighting Knights leading 14-7, Gorjup stepped behind the service line and completely broke the set open
- Lynn ripped off nine consecutive points during Gorjup's serving run, with Audrey Shaw wreaking havoc at the net and the Sharks committing a string of attacking errors
- Gorjup capped the surge with her fourth ace of the night as Lynn stormed ahead 23-7
- Radulovic eventually put the finishing touch on the dominant frame with the set-clinching kill for a 25-11 victory
- Lynn hit a blistering .409 in the set while holding Nova Southeastern to -.200, as the Sharks committed 10 attacking errors against just five kills
 
Set Three: Lynn 25, Nova Southeastern 18
- Lynn carried its momentum directly into the third set, scoring the first four points behind a Radulovic kill, back-to-back Pukl Verdel aces and a Nova attacking error
- The Fighting Knights continued to apply pressure as a Rendic ace highlighted another surge that extended the advantage to 10-5
- Shaw took over at the net midway through the frame, contributing a pair of blocks as Lynn stretched its lead to 17-8
- Nova Southeastern made one final push, cutting the deficit to 18-16, but Lynn slammed the door with consecutive kills from Neill before a Rendic block helped restore a 22-16 advantage
- Pukl Verdel delivered the final blow, hammering home the match-clinching kill for a 25-18 victory and Lynn's fourth consecutive sweep
 
FIGHTING KNIGHT STATS:
- Pukl Verdel led all players with 12 kills, hitting .286 while adding eight digs, two aces and two blocks for a match-high 15 points
- Gorjup continued her strong run with 28 assists and a match-high four service aces, along with six digs and two kills on three error-free swings
- Neill put away seven kills with just one error on 18 attacks for a .333 hitting percentage while adding a solo block
- Rendic added seven kills, six digs, an ace and a solo block
- Radulovic finished with seven kills, while Audrey Shaw contributed four kills and controlled the net with a match-high five blocks
- Maidantchik anchored the back row with a match-high 10 digs and added two service aces, while Ella Voorhees collected nine digs
- Lynn held Nova Southeastern to just 27 kills and a .037 hitting percentage, forcing 23 attacking errors
- The Fighting Knights held commanding advantages in kills (39-27), aces (9-2), assists (35-23) and digs (49-42)
 
UP NEXT:
Lynn faces a quick turnaround, hosting SSC foe Palm Beach Atlantic on Thursday, Oct. 8th at 7:00 pm in the de Hoernle Sports and Cultural Center.