BABSON PARK, Fla. – The seventh-ranked Embry-Riddle escaped a hostile environment at the Sabbagh Athletic Center on Friday night, defeating Webber International in a thrilling five-set match, 25-15, 25-23, 21-25, 19-25, 15-10. With the win, ERAU improves to 16-4 and 4-0 in conference, tying Warner for the top spot in The Sun Conference, while Webber falls to 13-8 overall and 4-1 in league play.
The Eagles looked to be the more dominant side in the first set, running away with a 25-15 win. In the frame, Embry-Riddle hit .333 while holding the Warriors to a .000 hitting percentage.
The Blue and Gold continued to control the match through the early stages of the second set, jumping out to a 10-3 lead. WIU closed the deficit to 17-15 only to see the Eagles rally back with a 4-1 spurt to extend the margin to 21-16. A pair of kills from Karimah Hay cut the lead to a single point (21-20), but back-to-back kills from
Jordan Holcomb prevented the Warriors from tying the set. After Webber pulled to within a point at 24-23,
Emily Jacobson closed the set with a kill to give ERAU a 25-23 win and a 2-0 lead in the match.
The third set was arguably the most competitive of the night as it featured eight ties and two lead changes. The Eagles held an early 8-5 lead but surrendered it after committing three straight errors that were followed by a Chelsea Umana service ace, pushing WIU in front, 9-8. While Embry-Riddle was able to pull even five separate times throughout the remainder of the set, Webber never allowed ERAU to take the lead. A 3-0 Embry-Riddle run led to the final tie of the set at 19-19, but WIU finished the frame with a 6-2 run that included four Eagle errors, giving the Warriors the set, 25-21, and leaving ERAU with a 2-1 lead in the match.
In set four, Embry-Riddle held a slim 6-5 lead early, but a 5-0 run by Webber put them in front, 10-6, a lead that they would not surrender. A kill from Holcomb brought the Blue and Gold to within two points at 20-18, but as they did in set three, the Warriors ended the set strong, scoring five of the final six points to win the stanza, 25-19, tying the match at two sets apiece.
The fifth and decisive set saw the Eagles outhit the Warriors, .294 to -.043. Embry-Riddle used three WIU errors to spark a 5-0 run that put ERAU ahead, 7-3. A quick 3-0 run by the Eagles moved the score to 12-5 in favor of Embry-Riddle, a lead that seemed insurmountable. But the Warriors showed their resiliency, scoring the next four points to pull within three at 12-9, prompting ERAU head coach
Joslynn Gallop to take a timeout. Immediately out of the timeout, Martin put down a kill and followed it up with a service ace, building the lead back to five points (14-9) and giving the Eagles a match point. After WIU fended off the first match point, Breanna Evoy sent a ball just a few inches beyond the baseline for an attack error, ending the set, 15-10, and the match, 3-2, in favor of the Eagles.
Martin led all players with 22 kills and added nine digs, while Holcomb contributed 18 kills (.317 hitting percentage), 24 digs, a match-high six service aces and four blocks.
Hannah Gray picked up a match-high 28 digs and
Adriana Vazquez racked up a match-high 46 assists along with nine digs.
Karimah Hay led the Warriors with 13 kills and added 13 digs, though she also had a match-high 14 attack errors. Evoy chipped in 12 kills and 12 digs, while Katie Lindstrom registered 39 assists, 14 digs and five blocks (one solo). Tanner Garbutt led the team with 20 digs.
The Eagles will return to the court to take on Warner tomorrow at 2 p.m. in Lake Wales, Fla. in a battle of the last two remaining undefeated Sun Conference squads. The winner of tomorrow's match will have sole possession of first place and the inside track to hosting the conference tournament semifinals and finals in November.
