BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – After losing a five-set heartbreaker (25-27, 21-25, 25-17, 25-17, 12-15) to Cornerstone in the afternoon, the sixth-ranked Embry-Riddle volleyball team rebounded for a dramatic 36-34 win in the fourth set to clinch a 3-1 win (22-25, 25-22, 25-18, 36-34) over No. 7 Grand View at the Holiday Inn Express Classic hosted by Olivet Nazarene.
 
The Eagles' record moves to 7-3 on the year, while Cornerstone improves to 5-1 and Grand View falls to 11-3.
 
CU 3, ERAU 2
 
The Blue and Gold came out strong in the first set, running out to a 14-7 lead. Cornerstone rallied back, using a 7-1 run to tie the set at 17-all. Embry-Riddle used a 6-2 run of its own to regain the lead, 24-20. But the Golden Eagles fought off four set points en route to another 7-1 run to win the set, 27-25.
 
Cornerstone carried the momentum into the second set, jumping ahead by a score of 15-9. The Eagles went on a 9-2 run keyed by three blocks to take the lead, 18-17, only to see CU answer back with six straight points to regain the lead, 23-18. Taylor Martin put down back-to-back kills to pull ERAU to within three (23-20), but the Golden Eagles won the set, 25-21, taking a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
Embry-Riddle opened up the third set winning seven of the first 10 points. The Eagles built the lead to as large as eight points on a block from Morgan Shattuck and Adriana Vazquez that moved the score to 15-7. ERAU controlled the remainder of the set, never allowing Cornerstone to get any closer than five points. Shattuck ended the set with a kill, giving the Eagles a 25-17 win, extending the match to a fourth set with CU leading, 2-1.
 
Embry-Riddle continued its strong play in the fourth set, taking an early 9-3 lead and extending the margin to as many as eight points (20-12). The Eagles held Cornerstone to a .089 hitting percentage in the set as ERAU won by a score of 25-17, forcing a decisive fifth set.
 
The fifth set saw the Eagles take a slim lead in the early going (6-4), but CU rallied for five straight points to take a 9-6 lead. A kill from Jordan Holcomb pulled ERAU to within two points at 10-8, but the Golden Eagles wouldn't allow Embry-Riddle to get any closer as they held on for a 15-12 win in the set and a 3-2 win in the match.
 
Holcomb led the Eagles with a match-high 14 kills and added 22 digs and six blocks (one solo), while Martin added 13 kills and 13 digs. Shattuck added four kills and a match-high nine blocks. Hannah Gray picked up a team-high 29 digs and Vazquez tallied a team-high 38 assists as well as 13 digs.
 
Becky Albrecht totaled a match-high 14 kills while Chelsea Lake contributed 11 kills and 24 digs. Cailie Johnson added 11 kills and 13 digs and Murphy Heyer registered 17 digs and eight kills. Abby Miedema recorded a match-high 30 digs while Kim Weaver compiled a match-high 42 assists, 14 digs and nine kills.
 
ERAU 3, GVU 1
 
The Eagles and Vikings played a very tight first set that featured 12 ties and five lead changes with neither side holding a lead larger than four points. The Blue and Gold used a quick 4-0 run to take the lead, 17-15. Grand View rallied back with a 7-1 run that included four ERAU errors to take a 22-18 lead, the largest lead of the set. A block from Morgan Shattuck and Veera Hietala closed the gap to 24-22, but a Paige Harris kill finished the set at 25-22.
 
Embry-Riddle found its footing in the second set, jumping ahead by a score of 7-2. A kill from Taylor Martin increased the lead to 14-8, but a 6-1 run from Grand View trimmed the deficit to a single point (15-14). ERAU answered back with a 5-1 run that included a pair of kills from Jordan Holcomb, giving the Eagles a solid a 20-15 lead. GVU once again came back, closing the gap to one point again (23-22), but kills from Martin and Holcomb finished the set at 25-22 for the Eagles.
 
After Grand View took an early 6-4 lead in the third set, Embry-Riddle won nine out of 11 points to take a 13-8 lead. The Eagles continued to push, utilizing a 9-3 run sparked by four kills and three blocks from Holcomb to take a commanding 22-13 lead. A kill from Martin finished off the set, 25-18, giving Embry-Riddle a 2-1 lead in the match.
 
ERAU won the first three points of the fourth set, all on Grand View errors. From that point, GVU fought back to gain the lead at 7-6 and increase the lead to 12-9. The Eagles didn't let themselves get rattled and used a 5-1 run to regain the lead, 23-21. After a Holcomb kill gave ERAU a match point at 24-23, Embry-Riddle's servers just couldn't close the deal. The two teams traded sideouts for a majority of the remainder of the set. The Vikings got a kill from Kadie Subbhert to give GVU a 26-25 lead and a set point. The Eagles didn't get rattled and staved off Grand View's two set points. Embry-Riddle had 11 match points before Martin closed out the set and match with back-to-back kills, giving ERAU a 36-34 win a 3-1 victory in the match.
 
Holcomb led all players with 26 kills and hit .389, in addition to picking up 14 digs and 5 blocks. Martin added 23 kills and 17 digs, while Veera Hietala paced the defense with 20 digs and Gray added 16 digs. Adriana Vazquez ran the offense with a match-high 60 assists and 13 digs.
 
Kadie Subbert led GVU with 17 killls; Devon Jensen added 16 kills and 13 digs, while Erin Smith and Kelley Johson contributed with 10 kills apiece. Iwa Belisario registered 15 digs while Paige Harris added a team-high 17 digs and 23 kills. Molley Scanlan led the team with 29 assists and added 11 digs.
 
The Eagles return to action tomorrow at the Holiday Inn Express Classic as they play Robert Morris (Ill.) at 11:30 a.m. CDT and No. 22 Viterbo at 1:30 p.m. CDT.