CARROLLTON, Ga. - The Embry-Riddle volleyball team came up short in its bid to go 3-0 at the South Region Crossover, falling to Christian Brothers 3-2 (25-23, 12-25, 25-20, 19-25, 15-10) on Saturday afternoon. The Eagles fall to 12-6 on the year while the Bucs improve to 7-14.
Ana Pajic and Evelina Abdurakhmanova led the Eagles with 17 kills apiece while Amanda Saunders tallied 10 kills and 17 digs and Ella Duggan recorded eight kills to go along with four blocks (two solo). Tamires Ferreira registered 45 assists and 12 digs while Sumerr Paxton (26 digs) and Caitlyn Ballard (15 digs) shared the libero duties.
The first set was a back-and-forth affair, with ERAU leading 9-5 early only to see CBU go on a 13-4 run to take an 18-13 lead. The Eagles rallied back to regain the lead 19-18 after scoring six straight points, including three Pajic kills. The Bucs were able to end the frame on a high not, scoring six of the final eight points to turn a 21-19 deficit into a 25-23 victory.
The Blue and Gold dominated set two, holding CBU to just five kills against 11 errors for a -.171 attack percentage. After just 20 rallies, the Eagles had already established a 10-point cushion (15-5), and the Bucs weren't able to mount any sort of comeback, allowing the Blue and Gold to run away with the set, winning 25-12.
Set three was tight through the first 25 points until Christian Brothers went on an 8-1 spurt to take a 20-14 lead. The Eagles couldn't recover from that deficit, dropping the set, 25-20, to fall behind in the match, 2-1.
A 5-1 run early in the fourth set pushed the Eagles to an 11-8 lead, which would prove to be an advantage they would not relinquish. The Bucs kept it close, never trailing by more than five points, but Embry-Riddle was able to win the set, 25-19, forcing a decisive fifth frame.
In the fifth, neither team led by more than two points until the Bucs gained an 11-8 advantage. From that point, the Eagles could only muster two more kills as CBU ended the set on a 6-2 run to win the frame, 15-10, and the match, 3-2.
The Eagles will conclude this eight-match road trip on Tuesday, October 20th, when they travel to Lakeland to face No. 14 Florida Southern at 7 p.m.
