DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – For much of the evening, it looked as though Flagler was going to exact revenge on the Eagles after ERAU spoiled the Saints' senior night last season. Instead, No. 2 Embry-Riddle rallied from being down two sets to one to pull out a thrilling five-set victory over their rivals from St. Augustine. The Blue and Gold won the match, 18-25, 25-16, 23-25, 25-19, 17-15. 

With the win, the Eagles improve to 10-1 on the season while Flagler falls to 8-4. 

The Saints jumped out in front early, opening up a 6-2 lead in the first set. But a 6-1 run put ERAU in front for the first time at 8-7. A kill from Rachel Stacy gave Flagler a 15-12 lead, prompting Joslynn Gallop to call for a timeout. The Eagles were able to close to with a point (17-16) on a Jordan Holcomb kill, but FC closed out the set on an 8-2 spurt, taking a 1-0 lead in the match with a 25-18 win. 

In the second set it was Embry-Riddle getting the early jump on the Saints, as ERAU grabbed a 4-2 lead early. A kill from Abby Hall pushed the lead to 9-6, and a service ace from Nina Kontrec capped a 7-0 run than gave the Blue and Gold a commanding 17-8 advantage. Flagler never threatened for the remainder of the set as Embry-Riddle would tie the match with a 25-16 win. 

Following the extended break between sets two and three, the Saints came out reenergized, running out to a 9-3 lead in the third set. The Eagles battled back, using a Taylor Martin kill to close the gap to 10-8 and a Flagler service error to tie the set at 13-13. A 4-0 ERAU run, keyed by two Holcomb kills, put the home team in front, 22-20. But the Saints retaliated with a 5-1 run to finish off the set, 25-23, and take a 2-1 lead in the match. 

The fourth set started out as a back and forth affair, featuring 10 ties and five lead changes. The Eagles led early, 3-1, but Flagler quickly regained the lead at 5-4. A kill from Gloria Kemp put ERAU back in front at 7-6, but a service ace from Taylor Emilee gave FC an 11-10 lead. Another Kemp kill switch the lead once again (14-13), and this time the Eagles would not relinquish it. A Martin service ace extended the margin to six points (20-14) and an Emilee attack error ended the set at 25-19 in favor of ERAU, tying the match at two sets apiece. 

Kills from Holcomb and Kemp put the Blue and Gold in front early, 2-0, but the Saints rallied to take a 7-4 lead, forcing the Eagles to take a timeout. The break in the action proved important, as Embry-Riddle went on a 7-1 run to move ahead, 11-8. Holcomb put down her 21st kill to give the Eagles a 13-11 lead, but Flagler won the next two points to tie things at 13-13. Holcomb's 22nd kill gave ERAU match point (14-13), only to be thwarted by a kill from Abby Meyers. Martin put down a kill to give Embry-Riddle another match point (15-14), but Flagler's Dianna Craine answered to knot things up at 15-all. Kemp spiked a ball, giving the Blue and Gold their third match point. This time the Eagles wouldn't waste it, as Hall smashed home a kill to finish the set, 17-15, and to finish off the Saints, three sets to two. 

Hall collected 23 kills, the highest total by an Eagle this season, along with 11 digs and two blocks. Holcomb put down 22 kills, the second-highest total for an Eagle in 2011, along with a match-high .395 hitting percentage, 14 digs and two blocks. Martin added 13 kills, tied for her season-high, a .344 hitting percentage, 10 digs and two service aces. Kontrec picked up a match-high 29 digs while Adriana Vazquez recorded a season-best 58 assists as the Eagles hit .259 as a team. 

Flagler was led by Emilee who tallied 22 kills and 10 digs. Meyers chipped in with 11 kills (.391 hitting percentage) and four blocks, while Craine added nine kills and nine digs. Casey Gnann anchored the defense with 14 digs, while Olivia Snipes ran the offense, registering 42 assists and 11 digs as the Saints hit .204 for the match. 

The Eagles return to the court for a pair of conference road matches this weekend. Embry-Riddle will take on Northwood in West Palm Beach, Fla. on Friday, September 23, at 7 p.m. On Saturday, September 24, ERAU will battle Ave Maria at 2 p.m.