DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The Embry-Riddle volleyball team swept Northwestern Ohio and Oklahoma Baptist on Saturday in the 2010 ERAU Labor Day Tournament Sponsored by The National Guard at the ICI Center, finishing the tournament with a perfect 4-0 record. In addition to winning the tournament by virtue of being the only unbeaten squad, ERAU's Adriana Vazquez was named to the All-Tournament Team and Abby Hall was named Tournament MVP.
In the first match, the Eagles jumped out in front early, opening up an 8-4 lead on a kill by Taylor Martin. An attack error by UNOH gave Embry-Riddle a seven-point advantage at 14-7, and the Eagles would maintain a sizeable lead for the rest of the set, taking it 25-17.
The second set was much closer, with 16 ties and 10 lead changes. The Racers took an early 10-6 advantage, but three kills by Gloria Kemp and another by Vazquez knotted things up at 10. From that point, neither team was able to extend the lead to more than two points until the Eagles rattled off four straight points to end the set with a 25-21 win.
Set three started off similar to the second set, but ERAU would pull away much earlier this time. Holding a 17-16 lead, the Eagles ran off seven straight points, and a Hall kill would finally put the match away with a 25-18 win in the third set.
In the win, Vazquez racked up 32 assists while Nina Kontrec tallied 20 digs. Kemp had a match-high 12 kills and hit .556, while Hall chipped in with 11 kills.
In the final match of the tournament, the Blue and Gold continued their strong play, dispatching Oklahoma Baptist in three sets.
Embry-Riddle continued the trend of opening up an early lead, gaining an 11-4 advantage on a Martin service ace. The Bison would cut the deficit to just two at 20-18, but four consecutive errors by OBU put the set out of reach, and a Jordan Holcomb kill ended it at 25-20 in favor of the Eagles.
Set number two was a much closer affair than the first, as the Bison actually outhit the Eagles, despite dropping the set. Oklahoma Baptist took an 8-4 lead, but Embry-Riddle rallied to win seven of the next nine points to take an 11-10 lead. The Eagle advantage would grow to as many as four points when a Martin kill put ERAU ahead 23-19. OBU wouldn't go down without a fight, battling back to retake the lead at 25-24. The Eagles responded, scoring three straight points to take the set, 27-25.
In the third set, Embry-Riddle built up a solid lead early and never looked back. Hall put down a kill to put the home team in front 11-5, prompting the Bison to take a timeout. Despite the stoppage, the Eagles continue to hold a big lead for the remainder of the set. Hall would eventually end the match with back-to-back kills, giving ERAU the set, 25-15, and the match, 3-0.
Hall finished with a match-high 15 kills, while Emily Jacobson hit a stellar .917, recording 11 kills on 12 swings. Vazquez registered a match-high 43 assists and Kontrec totaled a match-high 21 digs.
The Eagles will travel to Georgetown, Ky. next weekend to take part in the Rumpke Invitational hosted by Georgetown College. ERAU will take on St. Catharine and Cumberland (Tenn.) on Friday before facing off against Union (Ky.) on Saturday.
All-Tournament Team
Rupia Inck (Oklahoma Baptist)
Skyler Strahm (Oklahoma Baptist)
Kelli Tigger (Lewis-Clark State)
Heather Garmire (Northwestern Ohio)
Karie Altman (Madonna)
Jennifer Wyatt (Wayland Baptist)
Adriana Vazquez (Embry-Riddle)
Tournament MVP
Abby Hall (Embry-Riddle)
