DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – After losing twice on Friday, the second-ranked Embry-Riddle volleyball team bounced back to win a pair of matches on Saturday, the final day of the ERAU Tournament at the ICI Center. The Eagles easily dispatched of No. 11 Indiana Tech in three sets (25-19, 25-20, 25-14) and capped the tournament with a 3-0 win (25-16, 25-18, 25-20) over Georgetown (Ky.) to finish the tournament with a 2-2 record, improving to 16-3 overall.

The Eagles got out of the gates quickly against Indiana Tech, grabbing an early 7-4 lead. After the Warriors pulled to within a point (11-10), ERAU went on a 5-1 run keyed by a pair of Abby Hall kills, taking a 16-11 lead. Indiana Tech fought back to close the gap to three points (22-19), but the Eagles won the last three points of the set, winning 25-19.

The second set saw the Blue and Gold continue to put the pressure on, running out to a 12-6 lead in the early stages. A solo block from Emily Jacobson extended the lead to 19-12, at which point the Eagles looked to be in control. However, the Warriors continued to persevere, using a 6-2 run to cut the margin to 21-18, forcing Joslynn Gallop to take a timeout. The break in momentum stopped the run, and ERAU won the next three points and eventually took the set, 25-20.

Holding a 2-0 lead, Embry-Riddle came out determined to not let the Warriors back in to the match; the Eagles quickly grabbed a 12-4 lead and never looked back. A solo block from Gloria Kemp pushed the lead to 16-8, and a block from Hall and Adriana Vazquez extended the margin to double-digits at 19-9. ERAU closed out the set on a 4-1 run and won the final frame, 25-14, sweeping the match, 3-0.

Taylor Martin led the Eagles with a match-high 15 kills (.429 hitting percentage) as well as picking up 12 digs, recording her second double-double of the tournament. Hall also had a double-double, registering 10 kills (.455 hitting percentage) and 13 digs in addition to recording three service aces. Nina Kontrec led the way defensively with 17 digs while Vazquez ran the offense, tallying 42 assists as the Eagles hit .323 as a team.

Kelsey Cox led the Warriors with nine kills and four blocks (one solo), while Kelsea Nova chipped in with seven kills and nine digs. Ashley Hamilton picked up a team-high 18 digs and Melanie Forman registered 10 digs and 24 assists.

Against Georgetown, Embry-Riddle took an early 12-9 lead, but quickly extended the margin to nine points (18-9) on the strength of a 6-0 run keyed by a pair of service aces from Nina Kontrec. The Tigers closed to within five points (21-16), but the Blue and Gold finished out the frame with a 4-0 run to take the set, 25-16.

In set two, ERAU once again grabbed a small early lead at 7-5, but Georgetown went on a 5-1 run to take the lead, 10-8. After two side outs for both sides, the Eagles responded in a big way, scoring eight straight points to gain a six point advantage at 18-12. A kill from Morgan Shattuck pushed the lead to 22-16, and a kill from Holcomb closed out the set at 25-18 in favor of the Eagles.

The third set saw ERAU take an early lead and never surrender it. A service ace from Kemp moved the score to 13-9, prompting Georgetown to a take a timeout. The Eagles continued to widen the gap, as a kill from Hall extended the lead to 16-11, but the Tigers stormed back with four straight points to pull within one. Embry-Riddle rallied, getting kills from Hall, Martin and Holcomb in quick succession to regain a four-point advantage (19-15). A kill from Jacobson pushed it to match point at 24-20, and a poor Georgetown pass resulted in an attack error that ended the set at 25-20, giving ERAU a 3-0 sweep over the Tigers.

Hall led the Eagles with 14 kills while Holcomb added 11 kills and Martin chipped in with eight kills. Each of them also picked up six digs apiece as did Vazquez, who also tallied 38 assists as the Blue and Gold hit .337 for the match. Kontrec, who was named to the all-tournament team, compiled a match-high 22 digs and three service aces.

Kelsey Luckett led the Tigers with 10 kills while Caraline Maher and Kathryn Smith added five kills apiece. Liz Goodin collected a team-high 20 assists as well as a team-high 11 digs.
Embry-Riddle returns to action next weekend at the SCAD Invitational in Savannah, Ga. On Friday, Oct. 14, the Eagles will take on Shawnee State (Ohio) at 11 a.m. and No. 5 Lee (Tenn.) at 5 p.m. On Saturday, Oct. 15, ERAU will face No. 12 Taylor (Ind.) at 9 a.m. and will finish the tournament with a 1 p.m. match against Union (Tenn.).

All-Tournament Team
Paula Ferreira, Columbia (MVP)
Serena Jenkins, Columbia
Kelly Corkum, Columbia
Ashley Hamilton, Indiana Tech
Terese Byrne, Olivet Nazarene
Jessica Cooper, Shorter
Nina Kontrec, Embry-Riddle