MELBOURNE, Fla. – After a tough 3-2 loss on Friday to No. 4 Palm Beach Atlantic, the Embry-Riddle volleyball team bounced back with a dominant 3-0 sweep at Florida Tech, 25-15, 25-17, 25-21. The Blue and Gold outhit the Panthers .374 to .155 to improve to 3-2 (1-1 SSC), while FIT fell to an identical 3-2 (1-1 SSC) mark.
Erika Barbour led all players with 12 kills and hit .435 while
Theresa Jordan added 11 kills and hit .348.
Melanie Canfield contributed nine kills with a .318 attack percentage and the Eagle middle blockers were both very efficient, as
Ella Duggan (6-0-13) and
McKenna James (5-0-9) combined for 11 kills and no errors in 22 swings, good for a .500 attack percentage.
Alyssa Rudd led all players with 40 assists and
Olivia Roa picked up a match-best 14 digs.
The Eagles jumped out to an early 5-1 lead and pulled out to a commanding 21-11 lead with a 7-0 run late in the set. The Panthers scored four of the next five points but ERAU closed out the set scoring the final three points to win the frame, 25-15.
Embry-Riddle started strong in set two, scoring the first three points en route to an early 10-3 lead. A 3-0 spurt pushed the advantage to nine points (15-6) before FIT slowly tried to work its way back into the contest. The Eagles did well to prevent the home side from gaining too much momentum, maintaining at least a six-point cushion for the rest of the frame, eventually winning it by a 25-17 score to go up 2-0 in the match.
ERAU continued the trend of fast starts in the third set, running out to an 8-1 lead that would prove to be insurmountable. Florida Tech did cut the deficit to just two points (13-11) after a 7-1 run, but the Panthers couldn't get any closer than that. Late in the set, FIT cut the lead to two again (21-19), only to see the Eagles score three straight to put the set and match out of reach at 24-19. After a couple Panther points, Jordan ended the match with her 11th kill, clinching the final set, 25-21.
The Eagles land back at home next weekend for a pair of Sunshine State Conference matches. ERAU hosts Nova Southeastern on Friday, Sept. 22 at 7 p.m., and Barry visits the following day (Sept. 23) at 4 p.m.
