DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle volleyball team dropped its fourth straight match on Saturday, falling to the visiting Florida Southern Moccasins, 3-1 (20-25, 25-22, 25-21, 25-23). The Eagles' record moves to 4-7 on the season, 2-6 in conference play, while the Mocs improve to 9-6, 6-1 in SSC action.
 
Melanie Canfield led all players with 21 kills and added 12 digs and a match-high four service aces, while Erika Barbour tallied 16 kills. Theresa Jordan chipped in six kills, six blocks (one solo) and 19 digs. Alyssa Rudd led the Eagle offense with 47 assists and Olivia Roa picked up a match-best 31 digs.
 
The first set was a back-and-forth affair with ERAU using a 4-1 run to take a 17-13 lead only to see FSC bounce back with a 5-1 spurt to tie the set at 18. After the teams traded sideouts for the next four rallies, Embry-Riddle rattled off five straight points to take the first set, 25-20.
 
Set two saw Florida Southern open up an early 7-2 lead, but ERAU fought back and eventually took a 17-16 lead after going on a 7-2 run. The Mocs answered back to pull ahead 21-18 and appeared in control, leading 23-20, when back-to-back kills from Canfield and Jordan brought the Blue and Gold to within a point, prompting FSC to take a timeout. The break proved effective as Sydney Marshall came up with a kill and a block on the next two points to secure a 25-22 set win for FSC.
 
In the third set it was Embry-Riddle that started strong, winning five consecutive points, including a kill and two service aces by Canfield, to take an early 5-2 lead. The lead would prove to be short-lived, however, as Florida Southern won seven of the next eight points to take a 9-6 lead. The Mocs pushed their advantage to as many as five (13-8) and never looked back, going on to win the set, 25-21.
 
The Eagles took a quick 5-2 lead in the fourth frame, and other than a brief, three-point period where FSC took over the lead, the Blue and Gold led throughout the set. The margin grew as large as five points in the latter stages of the frame, with an ace from Roa pushing the lead to 23-18. The Mocs fought back to win the final seven points of the match, including three kills by Nicole Mattson, to turn the five-point deficit into a two-point, 25-23 win, clinching the match, 3-1.
 
Embry-Riddle will travel to Hoover, Alabama next weekend to take part in the South Region Crossover Tournament, which features all of the teams from the Sunshine State Conference and the Gulf South Conference. Match times and opponents will be determined late Tuesday or early Wednesday following Tuesday's SSC matches, as the teams will be seeded based upon their conference standings.