WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle volleyball team suffered a 3-1 defeat at No. 18 Palm Beach Atlantic on Saturday afternoon. ERAU won the opening set, 25-23, before dropping the next three sets, 25-14, 25-19, 25-22. With the loss, the Eagles fall to 13-8 on the season, 7-7 in conference play, while the Sailfish improve to 19-3 overall, 11-3 in SSC matches.
 
Erika Barbour led the Blue and Gold with 10 kills while Melanie Canfield and Theresa Jordan each added nine kills and Sam Lanning chipped in with eight. Barbour also added 10 digs while Canfield and Jordan each tallied 14 digs. Alyssa Rudd led all players with 33 assists and picked up 14 digs while Olivia Roa led the Eagles with 23 digs.
 
The Eagle offense came out clicking on all cylinders in the first set, racking up 14 kills with just one error on 38 attempts, good for a .342 attack percentage. ERAU used a 4-0 run early in the frame to jump out to a 7-4 lead, but the Sailfish chipped away and eventually pulled ahead, 12-10. A McKenna James kill put the Blue and Gold back in front, 14-13, but PBA again came back to retake the lead, 17-15. The see-saw battle continued until Embry-Riddle was able to string together three points in a row to finish the set, turning a 23-22 deficit into a 25-23 win.
 
In set two, ERAU quickly ran out to a 5-1 lead, but a 5-0 Sailfish run gave the home side the advantage, 9-7, and another 5-0 run shortly thereafter pushed PBA's lead to 14-8. Palm Beach Atlantic finished the frame on a 7-1 surge to win 25-14, evening the match at a set apiece.
 
The Sailfish won seven of the first eight points in set three, and before long the margin had increased to 11-3. Embry-Riddle battled back and got to within three points (21-18) on a Roa service ace, but PBA would go on to win four of the final five points to claim a 25-19 win.
 
A 5-0 spurt early in the fourth set helped Palm Beach Atlantic take control early, leading 7-2. The Blue and Gold fought back, and eventually took the lead after a 5-0 run put the visitors ahead 16-13. The Sailfish claimed five of the next six points as part of a 8-3 run that saw them regain the lead, 21-19. The teams traded points for the next six rallies before PBA closed the door with a service ace to clinch the set, 25-22, and the match, 3-1.
 
The Eagles will head to Orlando next weekend (Oct. 19-20) to take part in the South Region Crossover Tournament. Official seedings and the full tournament schedule will be released early next week.