WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - The 12th-ranked Embry-Riddle volleyball team improved to 23-2 overall and 8-0 in Sun Conference play with a 3-1 (25-14, 25-21, 25-27, 25-20) win over Northwood on Friday night. Abby Hall paced the Eagles with 23 kills and 10 digs, and Jordan Holcomb added 13 kills for the Eagles. The Seahawks fell to 8-9 overall and 5-6 in TSC play with the loss.
The Blue and Gold got off to a quick start, taking a 4-0 lead in the first set. A kill from Gloria Kemp increased the lead to seven points at 13-6, and a kill from Hall ballooned the margin to 10 points at 18-8. Another Hall kill ended the set at 25-14 in favor of the Eagles, as Embry-Riddle outhit Northwood .542-.167 in the set.
The second set was a closer affair, with Northwood taking a short-lived lead in the early going at 6-3. A quick 4-0 run put Embry-Riddle back in front, and they would not relinquish the lead. The Seahawks fought back to tie the set at 16-16, but Adriana Vazquez put down a kill on the next point, and the Eagles would go on to win the set, 25-21.
ERAU again jumped out to a lead in set three, opening up a 7-3 advantage in the early going. But Northwood would not go down quietly, coming back to tie it at 8-8. The two teams would battle back and forth throughout the set, as there were 18 ties and five lead changes. Back-to-back kills from Hall and Taylor Martin put the Eagles in a good position, leading 22-20. But the Seahawks responded with a pair of kills to tie things up at 22-22. Embry-Riddle had match point leading 24-23, but Kara Wentz put down a kill to extend the match. Wentz recorded two more kills, each putting Northwood within one point of clinching the set. Finally, Cody Kiraly's service ace gave the Seahawks a 27-25 win set, pushing the match to a fourth set.
In the fourth set, the Blue and Gold saw an early 9-6 lead evaporate quickly as Northwood fought back to take a 13-12 lead, prompting ERAU head coach Joslynn Gallop to take a timeout. Coming out of the timeout, the Eagles rattled off four straight points to reestablish a three-point lead. The Seahawks were unable to recover, never closing the gap to less than two points for the remainder of the set. Embry-Riddle took the set, 25-20, and the match, three sets to one.
Hall led all players with 23 kills to go along with 10 digs, and Holcomb added 13 kills. Kemp tallied 12 kills and hit .556 for the match, while Vazquez recorded 54 assists and 11 digs. Nina Kontrec led the Eagles with 20 digs, while Martin chipped in with 12 digs.
Wentz led the Seahawks with 20 kills in addition to picking up 11 digs, while Rebecka Ohman added 20 digs and nine kills.
The Eagles return to the court tomorrow afternoon when they take on Ave Maria University in Ave Maria, Fla. The match is set to begin at 2 p.m.
