SANTA CLARITA, Calif. – The Embry-Riddle volleyball team lost two five-setters on Friday, falling to Cal State – San Marcos and Westmont on the first day of a mid-season tournament at The Master's College. The Blue and Gold lost a tough five-setter to the Cougars (23-25, 25-20, 15-25, 29-27, 15-12) before suffering the same fate against the Warriors (21-25, 19-25, 25-17, 25-20, 15-10).

Cal State – San Marcos 3, Embry-Riddle 2

Jennifer Beatty led all players with 16 kills against the Cougars, while Ana Pajic and Evelina Abdurakhmanova each chipped in with 10. Pajic added seven blocks and Erika Hinel had a career-high 10 blocks (one solo). Hannah Gray collected 37 digs while Tamires Ferreira tallied 45 assists and 10 digs.

Four Cougars reached double-figures in kills, led by Erin Talafus' 14, with Brooke Butler (13), Kelli McLin (13) and Kristin Parker (10) also reaching the 10-kill mark. Butler also picked up 16 digs as Samantha Flores led the team with 23 digs. Alyssa Foster registered a match-high 55 assists to go along with 15 digs.

The Eagles used a 4-0 run midway through the first to take a 16-11 lead, and extended it further with a 3-0 spurt that pushed the advantage to 19-13. CSUSM didn't go quietly, fighting back to tie it at 21 and even take a 23-22 lead. Cheye-Anne Savage's kill tied it at 23, and an ace from Ferreira followed by a kill from Abdurakhmanova closed out the set, 25-23.

Set two saw Cal State – San Marcos jump out to an 11-3 lead and never look back. ERAU put together a 6-1 run to get within five (20-15) and then staved off four straight set points before succumbing to a 25-20 final score, which tied the match at 1-1.

CSUSM started strong in set three, running out to a 7-3 lead. After the Blue and Gold rallied to tie it at -7-7, Embry-Riddle kept pushing, taking leads of 14-10, 17-11 and 23-14 before eventually clinching the set, 25-15. The Eagles played solid defense, limiting the Cougars a to a negative hitting percentage (-.047) in the frame.

Set four was close throughout, with neither side able to take a lead of more than three points. The Eagles scored three straight points to take a 22-21 lead only to see CSUSM rally back to move ahead, 24-23. Beatty's kill tied it at 24, and the two teams exchanged sideouts for the next seven points as Embry-Riddle stayed alive through three more set points. The Cougars eventually won the set, 29-27, on a Parker-McLin block, sending the match to a fifth set.

CSUSM got off to the better start in the fifth, taking an 8-4 lead as the teams changed ends. The Cougars scored four of the next five points to go ahead, 12-6. The Eagles put up a good fight, going on a 6-1 run to close the gap to a single point (13-12). Talafus and McLin scored kills on the next two points to win the set, 15-12, ending the Eagles' hopes of a dramatic comeback.

Westmont 3, Embry-Riddle 2

Less than an hour after the Eagles' match against CSUSM wrapped up, ERAU was back on the court to take on Westmont. Embry-Riddle started strong, winning the first two sets, but the Warriors bounced back to win the final three sets to win the match.

Abdurakhmanova led the Eagles with 13 kills to go along with a season-high 13 digs, while Savage (12 kills) and Beatty (11) each added double-digit kills. Gray picked up 22 digs and Ferreira had 43 assists and 11 digs.

Both teams hit efficiently in set one, as the Eagles and Warriors each put up .314 hitting percentages in the frame. Westmont led early on, 10-7, but a 6-1 run for ERAU put the Eagles ahead, 17-14. The Warriors came back to tie it at 17 before the Eagles moved ahead for good. Savage scored a kill to make it 22-20 and she teamed up with Beatty for the set-ending block that finished the 25-21 win for the Eagles.

The second set was back-and-forth, featuring 10 ties and four lead changes. ERAU scored three straight point to take an 11-9 lead before WC responded with a 6-2 run to regain the lead, 15-13. The Blue and Gold went on a tear from that point, ending the set on an 11-3 run to win, 25-19, taking a 2-0 lead in the match.

Set three was won and lost in the middle stages of the frame, as WC took a 10-8 lead after a 5-0 run and then scored seven straight points after ERAU retook the lead (11-10), which put Westmont in front, 17-11, which would prove to be an insurmountable deficit. The Warriors ended up with a 25-17 win, making it a 2-1 match score.

The Warriors started strong in set four, scoring six of the first seven points. ERAU went on a 5-0 spurt to draw even (13-13), but Westmont bounced back to the tune of an 8-1 run, putting WC back in front, 21-14. The Eagles pulled back to within three (21-18), but that was as close as the Warriors would allow, as Westmont took the set, 25-20, forcing a fifth set.

As they did in set four, the Warriors started strong, taking a 7-2 lead early on. The Blue and Gold chipped away, trimming the deficit to as little as two points (9-7), but they couldn't pull even. WC went on to win the set, 15-10, clinching a 3-2 match victory.

The Eagles are back in action tomorrow with a pair of matches beginning with a contest against No. 19 Vanguard at 4 p.m. EDT. Embry-Riddle will close out this mid-season tournament against the host Mustangs of The Master's College at 10 p.m. EDT.