DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Despite a career night from Amanda Saunders, who set career highs in kills and digs, the Embry-Riddle volleyball team lost in four sets (25-17, 29-31, 25-22, 26-24) to conference-leading Saint Leo on Friday night inside the ICI Center. The Lions improve to 15-8 with the win, while the Eagles fall to 11-10.
 
Saunders led all players with her career-high 20 kills and picked up a team- and career-best 25 digs as well. Asya Oguz tallied 11 kills and seven digs while Laina Blanton had five kills and a match-leading five blocks. Jordan Nakayama set a career high with 13 digs and tied her career best with 28 assists, while Alyssa Rudd tallied 17 assists as part of the two-setter tandem for the Eagles.
 
The night got off to a poor start for the Blue and Gold as Saint Leo won the first six points of the match. The Lions never really let the Eagles back into the first set as they went on to secure a 25-17 win and a 1-0 lead in the match.
 
Set two was much more competitive, with both teams trading the lead back and forth throughout. Saint Leo found themselves with a 22-20 lead and looking to take control of the match when the Blue and Gold rattled off four straight points to flip the momentum to its side of the court at 24-22. SLU staved off the two set points and quickly found themselves with a set point of their own, leading 26-25. The two sides traded sideouts for the next seven points, with ERAU fighting off four set points in the process. The Eagles eventually pulled ahead on a Lion error and McKenna James put the set away with one of her seven kills, giving ERAU a 31-29 win and tying the match at a set apiece.
 
Embry-Riddle started set three strong, jumping out to a 4-1 lead quickly. The Eagles maintained the lead until Saint Leo went on a 6-1 run to move ahead, 13-11. A kill by Oguz sparked a quick 4-0 spurt for ERAU that put the home team back in front, but the Lions rallied back quickly with a 4-0 run of their own that put SLU ahead, 18-17. The two sides battled point for point until it was all tied at 22. From that point, Saint Leo scored three in a row to win the frame, 25-22, taking a 2-1 lead in the match.
 
Set four started nearly identically to set three, with ERAU winning four of the first five rallies to take the early lead. The Lions tied it at 9-9 only to see the Eagles score five in a row to jump ahead, 14-9. Saint Leo slowly chipped away at the deficit, cutting it to just one point at 22-21. But the Blue and Gold appeared poised to send the match to a fifth set when Saunders and Oguz scored kills to push the lead to 24-22. That proved to be the final two points of the night for ERAU as Saint Leo rallied with four straight points to close out the match, winning the fourth set 26-24 and the match 3-1.
 
The Eagles are back in action on their home floor tomorrow afternoon when they host the 23rd-ranked Tampa Spartans at 4 p.m.