DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The eighth-ranked Embry-Riddle volleyball team kicked off the 2012 conference season with a 3-0 defeat (25-21, 25-19, 25-19) of Southeastern on Friday night at the ICI Center. The Eagles improve to 10-3 (1-0 TSC) on the season while the Fire fall to 2-13 (0-1).
 
Taylor Martin got the Blue and Gold off to a strong start with four kills in the first six points as Embry-Riddle took an early 5-1 lead in set one. SEU rallied back with a 7-2 run to take a one-point lead (11-10), only to have the Eagles return the favor with an 8-2 run, giving ERAU an 18-13 advantage. Southeastern closed the gap to a single point (20-19), but another Martin kill sparked a 3-0 spurt that gave the Eagles a comfortable 23-19 lead, allowing ERAU to trade sideouts until an Adriana Vazquez kill closed the set at 25-21.
 
Embry-Riddle got things started quickly in the second set, running out to a 7-2 lead. This time, the Fire couldn't mount enough of a comeback to ever threaten the home team, as the Eagles maintained at least a three-point margin for the remainder of the set. Just as she did in the first set, Vazquez ended the second set with a kill to give ERAU a 25-19 win and a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
Set three saw Southeastern take the reigns early on as the Fire jumped out to a 7-2 lead thanks to four kills from Allison Lewen. Back-to-back kills from Jordan Holcomb spurred a 4-0 run to pull the Eagles to within a point (11-10), and after an SEU kill the Blue and Gold won four more straight points to take a 14-12 lead, its first lead of the set. Back-to-back blocks from Morgan Shattuck and Veera Hietala increased the margin to 19-15, and a block from Cailey Washington and Gloria Kemp put the Eagles in the driver's seat at 23-16. Martin put down kills for the final two Eagle points as Embry-Riddle took the third set, 25-19, sweeping the match.
 
The Eagles have now won 56 straight regular season Sun Conference matches and 52 consecutive sets in conference play. ERAU's last TSC loss came at Webber International on Sept. 12, 2008, and Embry-Riddle last dropped a set in conference at Northwood on Oct. 22, 2010.
 
Martin all players in kills (16) and digs (13), while Holcomb added 13 kills (.400 hitting percentage) and 10 digs. Vazquez ran the Eagle offense, compiling 39 assists to go along with nine digs and five kills in six attempts.
 
Lewen led the Fire with 10 kills while Tara McSherley registered a double-double with 29 assists and 11 digs. Katie Trenski led the team in digs with 12.
 
Embry-Riddle returns to action on Tuesday, Sept. 25 when they host NCAA II Flagler at 7 p.m. inside the ICI Center.