WINTER PARK, Fla. – Led by 25 kills from Evelina Abdurakhmanova and a record-tying 67-assist performance from Tamires Ferreira, the Embry-Riddle volleyball team improved to 9-1 with a five-set victory at Rollins (25-21, 23-25, 25-17, 26-28, 15-12) on Tuesday night. The Tars fall to 1-8 with the loss.
 
Ferreira's 67 assists tie the program's single-match record, which is also held by Marissa Gonzales. Along with the 67 assists, Ferreira tallied 11 digs and three service aces. Ana Pajic racked up 18 kills and nine digs while Amanda Saunders had a double-double with 10 kills and 11 digs. Ella Duggan chipped in with 11 kills and five blocks (two solo) and Sumerr Paxton collected a match-high 35 digs.
 
"Tonight we had different people step up in big moments throughout the match," Head Coach Joslynn Gallop said. "Evelina was big in the fifth set, Sumerr was solid all match long, and Tamires did a great job spreading the ball around. The competition in this conference is great from top to bottom, and it's a lot of fun to be a part of that."
 
The Eagles used a 6-2 run to open up a 14-9 lead in the first set. The Tars fought back and pulled within a point (17-16) on a Rachel Sawyer kill that capped a 5-1 spurt, but the Blue and Gold quickly regained control and went on to take the set, 25-21.
 
ERAU stumbled out of the gates in set two as Rollins jumped out to an early 8-3 lead. An Eagle timeout slowed the momentum slightly, but the Tars still looked to be in control with a 12-6 lead. On the next rally, an Ana Pajic kill sparked a 7-1 run that brought the Blue and Gold even at 13-13. RC didn't surrender the lead, however, and regained a four-point advantage at 20-16. Once again, the Eagles mounted a charge and within six points had drawn level again at 21. Rollins answered with three straight points, including a pair of blocks, to earn triple set point at 24-21. The Eagle frontline came up big with a double-block from Abdurakhmanova and Erika Hinel and a solo block from Duggan on consecutive points to close the gap to 24-23, but a Sam Schlesman kill ended the set at 25-23 in favor of Rollins.
 
After the intermission, the Eagles fell behind early in set three (5-2). Kills from Abdurakhmanova, Saunders and Duggan brought ERAU to a 5-5 tie and it wasn't long before the Blue and Gold had pulled ahead, 13-9. A Pajic service ace capped a 6-2 run that pushed the lead to 19-13 and the Eagles pulled away from there, winning the set, 25-17.
 
Embry-Riddle looked to be in control of set four early as a pair of Eagle blocks sandwiched around a Rollins error capped a 4-0 run that saw ERAU move ahead, 12-6. But the Tars quickly found their footing, scoring seven straight points after taking a timeout to take the lead, 13-12. The Blue and Gold briefly retook the lead (18-16) but couldn't maintain it, as Rollins roared back with a 6-1 run to take a 22-19 lead. Embry-Riddle responded with a 5-1 spurt keyed by three Pajic kills, putting the Eagles just one point away from a match win at 24-23. Rollins scored on a block to tie the set at 24, extending the frame to extra points. An Abdurakhmanova kill gave ERAU its second match point, but a block error tied it at 25. Duggan scored a kill on the next rally to give the Eagles a 26-25 advantage, but the Tars rallied with three straight points to take the set, 28-26, and force a fifth frame.
 
In the fifth set the Tars scored the first two points but Embry-Riddle quickly bounced back, taking an 8-5 lead before the changeover. After a Rollins timeout, both sides traded points until the Tars scored back-to-back points to trim the deficit to just two points (12-10). The Eagles were able to get the sideout on the next rally and traded sideouts for the final five points, which allowed the Blue and Gold to win the set, 15-12, and the match, 3-2.
 
The Eagles return to the ICI Center on Saturday to host No. 4 Tampa. First serve is slated for 4 p.m.