LAKELAND, Fla. - The No. 12 Embry-Riddle volleyball team extended their winning streak to 12 matches with a pair of wins Friday at The Sun Conference Mid-Season Tournament in Lakeland, Fla. The Eagles took down Florida Memorial in three sets (25-5, 25-9, 25-7) before sweeping Northwood (25-8, 25-17, 25-18) in the final match of the day. With the wins, ERAU improves to 15-1 overall and 4-0 in conference play.
Just six days after sweeping Florida Memorial in Daytona Beach, the Eagles and Lions clashed once again, this time on the campus of Southeastern University. Despite the change in location, the end result was the same: a sweep for Embry-Riddle.
The Eagles scored the first six points of the match, including three kills from Abby Hall. Emily Jacobson's kill put ERAU in front, 21-3, and a spike from Taylor Martin ended the set at 25-5 in favor of the Eagles.
The Blue and Gold started out even better in the second set, opening up a 10-0 lead before FMU got on the board. Back-to-back kills from Gloria Kemp gave Embry-Riddle a 16-6 lead, and a service ace from Adriana Vazquez closed out the set, 25-9.
In the third set, ERAU used a block from Jacobson and Jordan Holcomb followed by another Vazquez ace to take an early 12-2 lead. An ace from Hannah Rasmussen moved the score to 18-5, and a kill from Lauren Anastase clinched the set, 25-7.
Holcomb led all players with 10 kills, while Nina Kontrec had a match-high 15 digs. Vazquez tallied 35 assists, helping to lead the offense to a .571 hitting percentage.
In the nightcap against Northwood, the Eagles used an early 7-0 run to take a 14-4 lead in the opening set. Martin's service ace made it 18-6, and a kill from Jacobson ended the set at 25-8.
In the second set, the Lady Seahawks battled early to take an 11-10 lead. But the Eagles would respond with an 11-2 run capped by a Jacobson kill to gain a 21-13 advantage. ERAU would go on to take set, 25-17.
Northwood would again take a slim lead early in the third set, this time by a score of 5-4. Once again, the Eagles would bounce back, going on an 8-1 run capped by back-to-back service aces from Holcomb to open up a 12-6 lead. The Lady Seahawks couldn't respond with a run of their own, and Embry-Riddle would eventually win the set, 25-18.
Hall led all players with 15 kills, while Holcomb added nine kills and Martin chipped in with seven kills and seven digs. Vazquez recorded 34 assists to go along with seven digs, and Kontrec registered seven digs as well.
The Eagles will play two more matches tomorrow at The Sun Conference Mid-Season Tournament, beginning with a match-up against Warner at 11 a.m. Embry-Riddle will then take on Webber International at 3 p.m.
