DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle volleyball team returned to the win column on Tuesday night, downing the visiting Eckerd Tritons in four sets (25-18, 25-19, 22-25, 28-26). With the victory, the Blue and Gold are now 13-12 on the season, while the Tritons fall to 15-12.
 
Amanda Saunders continued to be the engine that drives the Eagle offense as she broke her career record for kills once again, tallying 27 to go along with 20 digs. Asya Oguz chipped in with 10 kills and 12 digs while Paola Virella had seven kills and a team-high 27 digs. Jordan Nakayama quarterbacked the offense with 48 assists and also picked up 17 digs.
 
The Eagles took an early 9-6 lead in set one before Eckerd rattled off five straight points to take the lead, 11-9. The Blue and Gold wrestled the lead back a few points later (16-15) and ERAU closed out the set on a 10-3 run to pull away for a 25-18 win.
 
Set two saw EC grab the momentum early on, running out to a 9-4 advantage. The Eagles rallied after a timeout, scoring 10 of the next 11 points to move into the lead, 14-10. ERAU kept pressing and eventually found itself leading by as many as seven points (22-15) en route to a comfortable 25-19 set two victory and a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
The third set looked to be in full control of the Eagles from the beginning, as ERAU quickly jumped out to an 11-2 lead. The Tritons showed their resiliency and clawed their way back, closing the gap to just two points (15-13) after an 11-4 run. Embry-Riddle increased the margin to four (19-15) only to see Eckerd go on a 7-1 tear to take the lead, 22-20. ERAU couldn't launch a counterattack as the Tritons went on to take the set, 25-22, extending the match to a fourth set with the Eagles leading 2-1.
 
In the fourth, Embry-Riddle held a comfortable 16-11 lead when Eckerd began mounting another comeback. The visitors scored points on nine of the next 11 rallies to move ahead, 20-18. A kill from Oguz followed by an EC error tied things at 20, and a block from Virella and Laina Blanton three points later put ERAU back in front, 22-21. Eckerd didn't give up, scoring three consecutive points to earn two set points at 24-22. The Blue and Gold got a much-needed kill from Blanton to make it 24-23, and EC committed a crucial attack error that cost them the second set point, tying the set at 24. Eckerd got a kill from Kali Boatwright to earn another set point at 25-24, but a net violation squandered the opportunity. After a service error gifted the Tritons their fourth set point, Virella scored a vital kill to tie things at 26. This time, the Eagles finished the job, as kills from McKenna James and Oguz put the Tritons away, 28-26, sealing the 3-1 victory.
 
The Eagles are back on the road this weekend as they travel to Florida Southern on Friday, Nov. 11, and St. Petersburg for a rematch with Eckerd on Saturday, Nov. 12.