PROVO, UTAH – The LIU volleyball team opened its season on the road Friday, taking on two of the toughest teams they'll face all season. The Sharks started the year with a match against UNLV, before capping the day with a battle against #15 nationally-ranked BYU at the BYU Classic.
LIU dropped both 3-0, falling to UNLV 25-21, 25-11, 25-11, and to the host Cougars before a crowd of nearly 5,000 people, 25-11, 25-10, 25-9.
In the first match of the day, the Sharks handled the Rebels well in the first set, going toe to toe with their Mountain West opponents. Late in the first, the Sharks went on a 4-0 run that would tie the game up 21-21, before UNLV won the next four points to take the 1-0 lead. The Rebels would take the next two sets, 25-11 each to clinch the match.
Senior
Jovana Stekovic led the Sharks in the first match with 12 kills and five digs, while
Karolina Nova had eight kills and a team-high nine digs. Sophomore
Ainsley Malis had 13 assists.
In the second match against #15 BYU, the Sharks struggled to hit at the same clip. Stekovic had seven kills to lead LIU, while senior
Anastasia Scott had a team-high 13 digs on defense for LIU.
Up next, the Sharks take on Southern Utah University Saturday, August 28 at 6 p.m. ET.
