DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The sixth-ranked Embry-Riddle volleyball team kicked off the 2012 season with a 3-1 victory over Coastal Georgia, 25-18, 24-26, 25-17, 25-8. Seniors Jordan Holcomb and Taylor Martin led the way offensively with 14 and 13 kills, respectively, while sophomore transfer Hannah Gray recorded a match-high 25 digs for the Eagles.
 
The Blue and Gold move to 1-0 on the young season, while Coastal Georgia falls to 0-1.
 
The Mariners showed from the opening moments that they were not intimidated by the sixth-ranked Eagles, leading 6-5 in the early going. After a Jordan Holcomb service ace gave ERAU a 10-7 advantage, Coastal Georgia rallied back to tie the set at 14-all. With the set tied at 17, Morgan Shattuck put down a kill to spark an 8-1 run that closed out the set with ERAU victorious, 25-18.
 
Embry-Riddle got off to a much better start in the second set, using a 5-0 run to jump out to a 9-4 lead. The Eagles extended the margin to eight points (15-7) before the Mariners began to chip away at the deficit. With ERAU leading 20-15, Coastal Georgia rattled off six straight points including back-to-back service aces from Maggie Bee, giving the visitors a one-point edge (21-20). The teams exchanged sideouts for the next eight points until a Mariner block put the set away, 26-24 for Coastal Georgia.
 
With the match tied at one set apiece, Embry-Riddle came out with a lot more enthusiasm in the third set. A service ace from Taylor Martin put the Eagles in front, 5-1, and a kill form Emily Jacobson increased the lead to 8-3. The Mariners fought back to trim the margin to three points (10-7), but a 3-0 run helped the Blue and Gold to extend the lead to 16-10. Holcomb finally ended the set with a kill, giving ERAU a 25-17 win and a 2-1 lead in the match.
 
In the fourth set, Coastal Georgia won the first three points before giving up 25 of the next 30 points. An 8-0 run capped by another Martin service ace gave Embry-Riddle an 8-3 lead. A 5-0 run keyed by back-to-back kills from Cailey Washington increased the advantage to 13-4. Another 5-0 run sparked by a pair of Jacobson kills moved the lead to 20-6. The Eagles won the final four points of the set, including two kills from Shattuck, to take the set, 25-8, clinching a 3-1 win in the match.
 
Holcomb led the Eagles with 14 kills to go along with eight digs and four assists. Martin added 13 kills and 10 digs while Gray led all players with 25 digs. Adriana Vazquez ran the offense for ERAU, compiling 39 assists as the Eagles hit .344 in the match.
 
Lindsay Herman led all players with 20 kills in addition to picking up 10 digs for the Mariners. Cassidy Kingery led Coastal Georgia with 23 digs and Bee led the team with 23 assists.
 
The Eagles return to the court next weekend when they will host the Embry-Riddle Labor Day Tournament Aug. 31 & Sept. 1 at the ICI Center. ERAU is scheduled play Olivet Nazarene (2 p.m.) and Texas at Brownsville (7 p.m.) on Friday, Aug. 31. UTB is the defending national champion and the No. 1 ranked team in the country. On Saturday, Sept. 1, the Blue and Gold will play Oklahoma Baptist (2 p.m.) and No. 16 Madonna (7 p.m.).