DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Despite 19 kills and 16 digs from Melanie Canfield, the Embry-Riddle volleyball team came up short in a Saturday afternoon contest against Florida Southern, falling to the Mocs 3-1 (26-28, 25-18, 25-18, 29-27). The Eagles now stand at 17-9 and 8-8 in conference, while FSC moves to 18-9 and 10-6 in the league.
 
Canfield notched a double-double with a match-high 19 kills to go along with 16 digs, while Erika Barbour also tallied a double-double with 17 kills and 10 digs. McKenna James had 10 kills and four blocks, while Theresa Jordan registered 13 digs and seven kills. Alyssa Rudd racked up 53 assists and a career-high 28 digs. Olivia Roa was second on the team with 22 digs.
 
FSC took an early 14-6 lead in set one, but the Blue and Gold used three separate 4-0 spurts to eventually take the lead, 22-20. ERAU had set point at 24-23 but couldn't convert, and two rallies later the Mocs had set point at 25-24. A kill from Sam Lanning kept the Eagles in it, and a few points later she and Canfield scored a double-block to clinch the set for ERAU, 28-26.
 
Florida Southern again got off to a good start in the second set, and while the Eagles maintained contact for the first 30 points of the frame, the Mocs took a 16-14 lead and quickly turned it into a 23-15 advantage before eventually winning the set, 25-18.
 
Embry-Riddle came out in set three and immediately jumped out to a 6-0 advantage. The lead would prove to be short-lived as FSC answered back with seven straight points to go up 7-6. After a pair of Eagle points, the Mocs again went on an extended run, scoring six straight points and 11 of 12 to pull ahead, 18-9. ERAU couldn't close the gap to any fewer than five points (23-18), and Florida Southern took the frame by a 25-18 score.
 
The Eagles used another early run in set four, this time a 6-0 surge, to take an early 7-3 lead. Embry-Riddle maintained an advantage until FSC rattled off eight of nine points in the middle stages of the frame, turning a 13-9 deficit into a 17-14 lead. The Blue and Gold rallied back, tying the set at 21 on an Izah Deang ace and going ahead 22-21 after an FSC error. The Mocs then scored three in a row to earn match points at 24-22, but the Eagles fought off both of them with kills from Barbour and Lanning. Two points later a Canfield kill kept the match going, and after another Moc error on the next play, ERAU found themselves with set point at 26-25. FSC scored a kill to tie it at 26, but on the next rally, Roa's overpass resulted in a point for the Blue and Gold and another set point at 27-26. Florida Southern bounced back to score on a double-block to tie it at 27 and followed up with a kill and a service ace to end the set, 29-27, clinching the match, 3-1.
 
The Eagles return to action next Tuesday, Oct. 30, when they host Florida Tech in another SSC battle slated to begin at 7 p.m.