DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Abby Hall's 13 kills led the Eagles to a 3-0 sweep (25-17, 27-25, 25-18) over Union (Ky.) College in the 2010 NAIA National Championship Opening Round on Saturday night, earning Embry-Riddle a trip to the National Championship Final Site in Sioux City, Iowa. The Final Site competition will feature 24 teams and take place at the Tyson Events Center/Gateway Arena Nov. 30 - Dec. 4.
Despite it being the program's first-ever appearance in the National Championship Opening Round, Embry-Riddle did not look the least bit intimidated. ERAU held a slim lead throughout a majority of the first set, until an 11-1 run midway through broke it open. Trailing 14-13, Emily Jacobson put down a kill to tie the set, and after a Lady Bulldog attack error, Jordan Holcomb and Hall recorded back-to-back kills, giving ERAU a 17-14 advantage. Union took the next point after calling timeout, but the Blue and Gold responded by rattling off seven straight points to take a 24-15 lead. Three points later, Holcomb finished the set with a kill, giving the Eagles a 25-17 win in set one.
The second set saw Embry-Riddle again hold a slim lead throughout the early stages, but this time it was Union that went on a little run to open up a bit of a gap. Trailing 13-12, the Lady Bulldogs won five straight points on Kalia Yasak's serve, taking a 17-13 lead. The Eagles quickly bounced back, using a pair of service aces from Nina Kontrec to tie the set at 18. But Union regained the lead in a matter of moments, as Monica Moreland's service ace put the Lady Bulldogs in front 22-19. Union held a pair of set points, leading 24-22, but a service error and a kill from Hall quickly erased the deficit, tying the set at 24. A block from Hall and Shattuck out ERAU in position to take the set, but Union came back with a block of their own to tie it at 25. Hall then picked up a kill to give Embry-Riddle their second set point, and she finished the set herself with a service ace, giving the Eagles a 27-25 win in the set.
In the third set, Union jumped out to a quick 5-1 lead, forcing ERAU head coach Joslynn Gallop to take an early timeout. The message worked, as the Eagles rallied back with an 8-2 run to take a 9-7 lead. The set remained tight until a 7-1 Embry-Riddle run, keyed by a kill and two service aces from Holcomb, put the Blue and Gold in command of the set, 23-16. The Lady Bulldogs couldn't overcome the late deficit, and Gloria Kemp's kill sealed the victory for the Eagles, 25-18 in the third and 3-0 in the match.
Hall led all players with 13 kills to go along with nine digs, three blocks and two service aces. Kemp added nine kills while Holcomb tallied seven kills, six digs, three blocks (one solo) and two service aces. Kontrec led all players with 19 digs and Adriana Vazquez recorded a match-high 32 assists along with eight digs.
Karina Ramos led the Lady Bulldogs with nine kills and three blocks, while Amanda Silva, the nation's leader in digs/set, picked up 18 digs. Monica Moreland tallied a double-double with 19 assists and 13 digs.
The Eagles will now advance to the 2010 NAIA National Championship presented by Siouxland Sports Medicine Foundation at the Tyson Events Center/Gateway Arena in Sioux City, Iowa. The final site will feature the 12 Opening Round winners as well as the 12 teams who received an Opening Round bye. The final 24 teams will be placed into six pools for three days of round-robin play, beginning on Tuesday, Nov. 30. The top two teams from each pool will advance to the single-elimination bracket starting Friday, Dec. 3. The championship match will take place on Saturday, Dec. 4 at 8 p.m. CST.
