DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle volleyball team bounced back after Friday night's season-opening loss to Oklahoma Baptist with a pair of victories on Saturday, the final day of the Bahama House Classic. The Blue and Gold looked dominant in a 3-0 sweep (25-17, 25-22, 25-13) of Barton (1-3) to open the day with the program's first win as a full member of NCAA II. The Eagles capped the night and the tournament with a 3-1 win (23-25, 25-18, 25-22, 25-19) over Missouri S&T (1-3). The wins move ERAU's season mark to 2-1.
 
ERAU 3, BC 0
 
Led by 10-kill performances from newcomers Erika Barbour and Melanie Canfield, the Eagles looked the better squad virtually all match long against Barton. Theresa Jordan chipped in eight kills, seven digs, four blocks, and a career-high five service aces, while Alyssa Rudd led the match with 35 assists and Olivia Roa picked up a match-best 20 digs.
 
ERAU wasted no time jumping out to a 6-2 lead in the opening set, though the Bulldogs fought back and eventually tied the set at 13 points apiece. A kill from Ella Duggan got the Eagles going in the right direction once again and sparked an 11-2 run that essentially sealed the frame in ERAU's favor. Barton staved off a pair of set points but a Barbour kill ended the set at 25-17 to put the Eagles ahead in the match, 1-0.
 
Set two saw the Blue and Gold win nine of the first 10 points; but once again, BC found its footing and rallied all the way back, tied the set at 13-13 again and even taking a 16-14 lead. The Bulldogs committed unforced errors on three of the following four points, allowing ERAU to pull even at 17-17, and the Eagles took full advantage, scoring with four straight kills to turn the tie score into a 21-17 lead. Barton pulled to within one at 23-22, but Canfield and Barbour pounded down successive kills to secure the set, 25-22, giving the Blue and Gold a 2-0 lead.
 
Embry-Riddle continued its string of strong starts in set three, running out to a 9-3 lead early on. Unlike the first two frames, the Bulldogs never mounted any sustained comeback and ERAU continued to pull away for the duration of the set, eventually winning it by a 25-13 score to sweep the match.
 
ERAU 3, MST 1
 
The Eagles overcame a tough, two-point loss in set one to take the next three sets from the Miners. Barbour led all players with 17 kills while Canfield added 12 and Paola Virella chipped in with 10. Barbour and Canfield also each had double-doubles with 12 and 15 digs, respectively. Rudd led all players with a career-high 46 assists and Roa had a match-high 25 digs.
 
The Eagles got off to a decent start, taking a 4-2 lead early in the first set. Missouri S&T came back to take a 5-4 lead and used a 10-2 run to push the lead up to 16-9. ERAU slowly chipped away at the deficit, and eventually a Miner attack error pulled the Eagles to within a point at 23-22. Unfortunately that was as close as they would get as Missouri S&T won two of the last three points to clinch the first set, 25-23.
 
Embry-Riddle came out swinging in the second frame, running out to an 8-2 lead. The Miners slowly got back into it, getting to within two points at 16-14. But a quick 4-1 spurt gave ERAU a five-point cushion and the Eagles wouldn't be challenged the rest of the way, winning the set 25-18 to tie the match at a set apiece.
 
The Miners opened set three by winning six of the first eight points, and it appeared the momentum had swung back to their side. But the Blue and Gold would quickly rally back, thanks to the strong serving game of Virella, who served five Eagle points in a row to flip the lead to 11-8 in favor of Embry-Riddle. Missouri S&T came back to tie it at 18, but the Eagles wouldn't allow the Miners to pull ahead. ERAU scored three points in a row and five-of-seven to gain set point at 24-20. It took three tries, but the Blue and Gold eventually finished off the set on a Duggan kill to win 25-22, taking a 2-1 lead in the match.
 
Missouri S&T won the first point of set four, but that would prove to be its only lead of the frame. Three consecutive errors gave ERAU a 3-1 advantage and the Blue and Gold never looked back, increasing the lead to four points (9-5), then five (13-8), then six (15-9). The Miners finally cut into the deficit late, getting to within three points (21-18), but the Eagles stemmed the tide with a Rudd kill and went on to win four of the final five rallies to win the set, 25-19, and the match, 3-1.
 
The Eagles head to West Palm Beach next weekend for a tournament at Palm Beach Atlantic. ERAU will take on Missouri Western and Bridgeport on Friday, Sept. 8, before battling St. Mary's (TX) and No. 10 Augustana on Saturday, Sept. 9.