ORLANDO, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle volleyball team improved to 8-1 all-time at the South Region Crossover with a pair of victories on Friday at the Orlando Sports Center. The Blue and Gold knocked off Shorter 3-1 (25-19, 25-17, 23-25, 25-18) to open play and then capped the day with a sweep of Alabama – Huntsville (25-16, 25-20, 25-22). The Eagles improved to 15-8 on the season with the wins, while Shorter fell to 9-12 and UAH dropped to 19-7.
ERAU 3, SU 1
McKenna James led all players with 17 kills and hit .395 while
Erika Barbour chipped in with 16 kills and
Theresa Jordan and
Melanie Canfield each added 10. Jordan added 15 digs for a double-double, while
Olivia Roa picked up a match-leading 31 digs.
Alyssa Rudd tallied 50 assists and 12 digs and
Sam Lanning recorded seven blocks.
The turning point in set one was a 6-0 run keyed by four consecutive blocks from Lanning that turned a 15-14 deficit into a 20-15 lead for ERAU. The Eagles maintained the wave of momentum and took the opening set, 25-19.
Set two saw James take over midway through the set as she highlighted a 12-1 surge with eight kills, giving ERAU a commanding 22-14 lead, which would quickly turn into a 25-20 win.
In the third set, Embry-Riddle was never able to put together a long run like it did in the first two frames, and although the Eagles led late (19-17), the Hawks were able to battle back and end the set on a 4-1 run to win by a 25-23 score, sending the match to a fourth set.
The Blue and Gold fell behind quickly in set four, trailing 6-1. A 10-2 spurt that included five Shorter errors was what the Eagles needed, giving ERAU an 18-13 lead that would prove to be insurmountable. A 3-0 run pushed it to 22-15 and
Sydney Ellis put down the clinching kill, closing the set with ERAU on top, 25-18.
ERAU 3, UAH 0
Barbour led the way offensively with 16 kills while James added 11 and hit .364 with seven blocks. Barbour also picked up 10 digs to register a double-double, while Roa led all players with 16. Rudd totaled 36 assists and 13 digs to earn her second double-double of the day.
The first set was close until a 5-0 run put Embry-Riddle ahead, 21-13, and the Eagles would cruise to a 25-16 opening set win from there.
An early 5-0 spurt gave the Blue and Gold a 6-3 lead in set two, but the Chargers rallied back and eventually retook the lead, 18-17. At that point, ERAU found another gear, finishing the frame by winning eight of the last 10 points of the set to win it, 25-20.
The Eagles didn't suffer a third-set letdown in this match, jumping out to a 4-0 lead and quickly building it to 9-3. A Barbour kill increased the margin to 13-6, but UAH was able to respond and eventually draw even at 15-15. After trading sideouts for a few points, James put down a kill that sparked a 5-0 run, pushing Embry-Riddle to a 22-17 lead. Although the Chargers got back to within two points (24-22), Barbour made sure that was as close as they would get, ending the match with her 16th kill to secure the 25-22 win.
The Eagles will close out the South Region Crossover tomorrow afternoon when they take on Montevallo at 2:30 p.m.
