SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The fourth-ranked Embry-Riddle volleyball team stumbled on Thursday afternoon, losing a heartbreaking five-set match (25-17, 25-18, 18-25, 20-25, 15-17) to No. 9 Biola (Calif.) in the last of three Pool D matches for both teams.
 
The Eagles finish pool play with a 2-1 record and will be the No. 7 seed in the single-elimination bracket, while Biola wins Pool D with a 3-0 record and will be the No. 6 seed.
 
ERAU got off to superb start, jumping out to an 8-3 lead early in the first set. Biola responded with an 8-2 run to take an 11-10 lead, but the Eagles quickly rallied with a 7-2 spurt, regaining the lead at 17-13. The Blue and Gold didn't allow Biola to get any closer than three points late in the set, and they went on to win the final five points to claim a 25-17 win, taking a 1-0 lead in the match.
 
The beginning stages of the second set saw neither side take a lead larger than two points until an 8-1 run gave Embry-Riddle a solid 14-7 advantage. Emily Jacobson put down one of her 13 kills to extend the margin to 19-12 and Taylor Martin closed out the set with a kill, giving ERAU a 25-18 win and a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
The Eagles started the third set well, taking a 6-1 lead on a kill from Martin, but Biola came back quickly to knot things up at 9-9. Martin put down another kill to give the Blue and Gold a 16-14 lead, but from there Biola caught fire, winning 11 of the final 13 points to take the set, 25-18.
 
Embry-Riddle once again started strong in the fourth set, taking an 11-7 lead on a kill from Abby Hall. Biola responded in a big way, scoring ten consecutive points to take an 11-17 lead and control of the set. The Eagles cut the deficit to as little as three (20-17), but the margin would prove too great to overcome as BU won the set, 25-20, tying the match at two sets apiece.
 
In the decisive fifth set, three Biola errors early on gave ERAU a 4-2 lead. A quick 4-0 run brought BU back to the front with a 6-4 lead, which then expanded to a four-point lead at 10-6. Kills from Hall and Martin brought the Eagles to within two at 10-8, and a kill from Holcomb cut the deficit to a single point at 12-11. Jacobson put together a kill and block on successive points to fight off two match points, tying the set at 14. A kill from Hall tied it again at 15, but consecutive kills by Biola finished the match with BU winning the set, 17-15, and the match, 3-2.
 
Hall and Holcomb led the Eagles with a match-high 19 kills and Hall added 13 digs for a double-double. Martin also had a double-double with 12 kills and 13 digs, as did Vazquez with 13 digs and a match-high 58 assists. Jacobson totaled 13 kills and a match-high .500 hitting percentage and five blocks (one solo) while Nina Kontrec picked up a match-high 29 digs.
 
Amy Weststeyn led Biola with a match-high 19 kills and hit .484 for the match, while Sarah McAtee added 15 kills. Gracee Gallarda (30 assists, 16 digs) and Nicolette Douglas (23 assists, 15 digs) each recorded double-doubles, while Tara Rallis picked up a team-high 16 digs.
 
With the loss, Embry-Riddle will be re-seeded as the No. 7 seed for the single-elimination bracket, which begins play Friday morning. ERAU received the No. 7 seed by virtue of being the highest-ranked team of the teams that finished pool play with 2-1 records. The Eagles will play No. 10 seed Southern Oregon tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. CST in the first round of the bracket. The winner of that match will play No. 2 seed Texas at Brownsville.