SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The Embry-Riddle volleyball team dropped a 3-0 contest (25-23, 25-14, 25-20) to No. 2 Texas at Brownsville in an Elite Eight match at the NAIA National Volleyball Championships on Friday night in Sioux City, Iowa. The loss ends the most successful season in ERAU volleyball history; the 2011 squad is the first team ever to complete a perfect season in conference play without dropping a set (42-0) and is also the first to advance to the Elite Eight stage of the National Championships.
 
The Eagles fell behind early in the first set (5-2) but fought back to tie it at 7-7 when Emily Jacobson and Adriana Vazquez put up a double block for a point. UTB regained a three-point advantage at 11-8, but once again the Blue and Gold rallied back. A 6-0 run by the Eagles highlighted by four kills from Abby Hall gave ERAU a 21-18 lead. The Scorpions weren't rattled, coming back with a 5-1 spurt to take a 23-22 lead and they would go on to capture the first set, 25-23.
 
Embry-Riddle took a quick 3-1 lead in the second set only to see Brownsville rattle off six consecutive points, give UTB a 7-3 lead. A kill from Jacobson cut the deficit to three (10-7), but that was as close as ERAU would get. The Scorpions didn't allow the Eagles to go on any runs for the remainder of the set, winning by the score of 25-14 to take a 2-0 lead.
 
The Blue and Gold were able to take a three-point lead midway through the third set (10-7), but a 6-point run gave UTB a 13-10 lead. Three straight errors followed by a Hall kill put the Eagles back in front (14-13), but that would be their final lead of the match. A 5-1 run gave the Scorpions an 18-15 advantage and Embry-Riddle couldn't chip away at the deficit at all as UTB took the set, 25-20, and the match, 3-0.
 
Hall led the Eagles with a match-high 12 kills in her final match as an Eagle while Jordan Holcomb added 11 kills. Taylor Martin led ERAU in hitting at .304 (9-2-23) in addition to picking up eight digs. Vazquez collected a a team-best 30 assists and 12 digs while Nina Kontrec tallied a team-high 25 digs.
 
Yenifer Calcano and Danica Markovic each totaled a match-high 12 kills and Calcano added 12 digs for a double-double. Ana Guerra added nine kills (.333 hitting percentage) and a match-high 10 blocks (two solo). Amber Brooks recorded match-highs in assists (33) and digs (27).
 
The Eagles wrap up the 2011 season as the most successful team in school history. Abby Hall finishes her career with 1,713 kills, the most in school history. ERAU ran through the conference schedule and tournament without dropping a set (42-0), the first time that feat has been accomplished in Sun Conference history. Most impressively, the Blue and Gold reached the Elite Eight this season for the first time in program history in just their second trip to the NAIA National Volleyball Championships.