Lynn University

DAVIE, Fla. - After surviving back-to-back five-set battles over the weekend, No. 9 Lynn University women's volleyball left little room for drama Tuesday night, delivering a commanding 3-0 sweep of Nova Southeastern at the Rick Case Arena.
 
The Fighting Knights (22-3, 14-2 SSC) showcased their offensive firepower, hitting an impressive .340 while collecting 48 kills in the 25-22, 25-16, 25-15 victory. Lynn grew stronger as the match progressed, closing the evening with a blistering .433 hitting percentage in the third set to secure its third consecutive victory.
 
Zara Rendic spearheaded the attack with a match-high 12 kills on .400 hitting, while Alexia Radulovic added 10 kills and Lillia Neill contributed nine on .389 hitting. Ula Gorjup orchestrated the offense with 37 assists and four service aces, while Clara Maidantchik anchored the defense with a match-high 18 digs.
 
The victory marked Lynn's first straight-set win since its recent stretch of five-set contests and kept the Fighting Knights firmly in the Sunshine State Conference race.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Set One: Lynn 25, Nova Southeastern 22
- Lynn wasted no time making its presence felt, opening the match with a service ace from Gorjup before taking an early 2-0 advantage
- Nova Southeastern responded with a 6-2 stretch to move ahead 6-4, setting the stage for a tightly contested opening frame
- The two sides traded blows throughout the middle stages, with Rendic and Radulovic delivering timely kills to keep the Fighting Knights within striking distance
- Trailing 15-14, Lynn received consecutive points from Neill and Gorjup to regain the lead at 16-15
- With the score tied at 17, the Fighting Knights seized momentum behind consecutive Nova Southeastern attack errors and a kill from Lira Pukl Verdel, building a 20-17 advantage
- The Sharks refused to go quietly, rallying to even the score at 21-21
- Lynn responded with three of the next four points, highlighted by kills from Audrey Shaw, Rendic and Radulovic, before Maidantchik delivered a service ace to seal the opening set, 25-22
 
Set Two: Lynn 25, Nova Southeastern 16
- The Fighting Knights came out firing in the second set, racing to a 3-0 advantage behind a block from Pukl Verdel and Shaw and consecutive kills from Rendic
- Lynn quickly stretched its lead to 7-1, with Pukl Verdel recording two kills during the early offensive surge
- A service ace from Rendic extended the advantage to 10-4 before Gorjup helped fuel another run that pushed the lead to 16-8
- The Fighting Knights continued to pour it on, using kills from Radulovic, Rendic and Shaw to build a commanding 20-10 advantage
- Neill provided several key finishes down the stretch, while Madison Jones added a service ace to bring Lynn to set point at 24-15
- Gorjup delivered the final blow with a kill to close out the 25-16 victory and give Lynn a commanding 2-0 match lead
- Lynn hit .333 in the frame, collecting 17 kills while limiting Nova Southeastern to just eight
 
Set Three: Lynn 25, Nova Southeastern 15
- With the sweep in sight, Lynn wasted little time taking control of the third set
- After falling behind 1-0, the Fighting Knights responded with a 6-1 surge, highlighted by three kills from Neill and another from Radulovic
- Consecutive kills from Pukl Verdel extended the advantage to 10-5, but Nova Southeastern fought back to trim the deficit to 11-10
- Lynn answered with its most decisive run of the evening, rattling off seven consecutive points to transform a narrow 11-10 advantage into an 18-10 lead
- Gorjup was at the center of the surge, recording two service aces, while Shaw and Pukl Verdel combined for a block before Shaw added another solo rejection
- Radulovic and Rendic continued to deliver offensively as the Fighting Knights stretched their lead to 22-13
- Chloe Riley joined the scoring with a kill before Rendic's second service ace of the evening brought Lynn to match point
- A Nova Southeastern service error sealed the 25-15 victory, completing the sweep
- Lynn saved its best offensive performance for last, hitting a remarkable .433 with 17 kills and just four errors in the final frame
 
FIGHTING KNIGHT STATS:
- Rendic unleashed a dominant offensive performance, leading all players with 12 kills on an impressive .400 hitting percentage while adding two service aces and a match-high 14 points
- Radulovic brought the firepower with 10 kills, reaching double figures while adding a block assist to Lynn's commanding victory
- Neill continued her remarkable offensive efficiency, hammering home nine kills on .389 hitting while committing just two attack errors
- Gorjup was the engine behind Lynn's explosive offense, dishing out 37 assists while wreaking havoc from the service line with four aces. She also contributed four kills and seven digs
- Shaw made her presence felt on both sides of the net, delivering five kills on .400 hitting while leading the match with four blocks
- Pukl Verdel provided another strong all-around effort, tallying seven kills, three blocks and four digs to help the Fighting Knights complete the sweep
- Maidantchik was a defensive force in the back row, collecting a match-high 18 digs while adding two assists and a service ace
- As a team, Lynn's offense was firing on all cylinders, hammering 48 kills on a scorching .340 hitting percentage while adding eight service aces, 43 digs and five blocks
- The Fighting Knights saved their best for last, hitting a blistering .433 in the decisive third set to put the finishing touches on their straight-set victory
 
UP NEXT:
The Fighting Knights will head to West Palm Beach on Saturday, Nov. 7 to take on Palm Beach Atlantic in the final road game of the regular season, set for a 4:00 pm start time.