DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The second-ranked Embry-Riddle volleyball team lost a pair of matches on Friday, falling 3-0 (25-18, 25-19, 25-22) to Shorter (Ga.) and losing a thrilling five-set match to No. 4 Columbia (Mo.), 25-23, 26-24, 21-25, 15-25, 15-11 in the NAIA Volleyball Match of the Week.
 
The loss to Shorter snapped an 18-match home winning streak for ERAU that dated back to a 3-0 loss to SCAD in The Sun Conference championship match on Nov. 14, 2009. That was also the last time the Eagles were defeated by an unranked opponent. The 3-0 loss to Shorter is also the first time ERAU has been swept since a 3-0 loss to No. 2 Lee (Tenn.) in the SCAD Invitational last season on Oct. 15, 2010.
 
The Eagles looked sluggish from the start against Shorter, falling behind 8-6 after committing four attack errors in the first 14 points of set one. A 3-0 run got the Eagles back to level with the Hawks at 13-13, but Shorter responded with a 7-0 run that included four more ERAU attack errors. The Blue and Gold clawed back to within five (23-18), but the Hawks finished the set with a pair of kills to take the set, 25-18.
 
Embry-Riddle fell behind early in set number two as well, trailing 7-4 after a string of three straight attack errors. A quick 4-0 pushed the Eagles in front, 8-7, but the Hawks rallied back to regain the lead, 14-11. Shorter extended the lead as far as five points (19-14), and the Blue and Gold couldn't cut into the deficit enough to mount a serious threat as they dropped set two, 25-19.
 
ERAU found themselves spinning their wheels once again in set three, as a run of three consecutive attack errors propelled the Hawks to an early 8-4 lead. A kill from Taylor Martin brought the Eagles to within two (11-9), but Shorter bounced back to extend the lead to 16-12. Embry-Riddle put together a 6-2 run to tie the set at 18, and the teams traded side outs to 20-20. Shorter mustered a 3-0 run to take a 23-20 lead, and they would go on to take the set, 25-22, and the match, 3-0.
 
Martin led the Eagles with a match-high 15 kills to go along with six digs, while Hall and Jordan Holcomb each added seven kills. Nina Kontrec anchored the defense with a match-high 18 digs and Adriana Vazquez recorded a match-high 34 assists.
 
Shorter was led by Jessica Cooper's eight kills, while Jasmine Crook, Loren Olive and Tori Bradley each contributed seven kills. Tanequa Whitman led the team with 14 digs while Jordan Corder tallied a team-best 16 assists.
 
In the nightcap, Embry-Riddle came out with a much higher intensity level, running out to a 15-8 lead over Columbia. The Cougars rallied back with a 10-3 to knot the set at 18-18, but ERAU wouldn't surrender the lead, trading side outs until the Eagles led 22-21. At that point, CC's Vesna Trivunovic put down three straight kills, giving the Cougars set point at 24-22. After a Holcomb kill extended the set, Nicole Murphy's kill closed out the set at 25-23.
 
Set two saw Columbia take a 10-7 lead early on, forcing Joslynn Gallop to take a timeout. The decision proved fruitful, as the Eagles rattled off four straight points to take an 11-10 lead. However, Columbia responded with a 7-2 run of their own to regain the advantage, 17-13. A 4-1 run brought ERAU back to within a point (18-17), and a CC attack error evened the set at 21-21. A Trivunovic attack error gave ERAU the lead, but it would be short-lived as the Cougars scored two straight points to take a 23-22 lead. A service error tied things at 23-all, but Columbia's Trinity Ojo put down a kill to give her team a set point at 24-23. Holcomb would keep the Eagles in it with a kill, tying things at 24-24, but back-to-back kills from Trivunovic and Murphy clinched the set for Columbia, 26-24, giving the Cougars a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
The third set didn't start out any more promising than any of the others, with Columbia opening up a 13-9 lead. But after an ERAU timeout, the Eagles rallied with a 10-3 run, highlighted by three Martin kills, to take a 19-16 lead. The Cougars couldn't chip away at the lead at all, and a kill from Gloria Kemp closed out the set at 25-21 for the Eagles, extending the match to a fourth set.
 
Embry-Riddle clearly played their best volleyball of the day in set four, getting off to a good start with a 10-6 lead early on. A kill from Martin extended the margin to 13-8, and a service ace from Holcomb pushed it to 16-9. The Eagles continued to pull away and would go on to take the set, 25-15, forcing a decisive fifth set.
 
ERAU continued to ride the wave of momentum from sets three and four, taking the first two points and holding a lead for a majority of the early portion of the fifth set. With the Eagles leading, 7-6, the Cougars mounted a rally, winning seven of the next nine points to take a commanding 13-9 lead. A block from Hall and Emily Jacobson stopped the bleeding temporarily, but the Cougars were more than willing to trade side outs for the final four points, which they did, giving Columbia a 15-11 win in the fifth set and a 3-2 win in the match.
 
Hall led the Eagles with 16 kills in addition to picking up eight digs. Martin recorded a double-double with 13 kills and 16 digs, while Holcomb nearly completed a triple-double, collecting 14 kills, 13 digs, eight blocks and three service aces. Kontrec was strong in the back row, recording 35 digs, while Vazquez registered 52 assists and 12 digs.
 
Trivunovic tallied a match-high 19 kills while Murphy added 15 kills (.520 hitting percentage). Serena Jenkins had 14 kills and 11 digs, and Ojo added 12 kills (.355 hitting percentage). Aleah Hayes led the team with 23 digs while Paula Ferreira totaled a match-high 59 assists, 20 digs and four blocks (one solo).