DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle volleyball team improved to 4-1 on Friday night with a 3-1 win over Flagler on the first night of the Bahama House Labor Day Classic. The Eagles dropped the first set, 25-20, before bouncing back to win three straight, 25-17, 25-18, 25-19. The Saints, who were ranked No. 25 in the preseason coaches' poll, fell to 1-5 with the defeat.
 
Erika Barbour led all players with 16 kills while McKenna James put down 13 kills and hit a blistering .667. Melanie Canfield added 11 kills and 12 digs while Sam Lanning had a match-high nine blocks (two solo) and hit .455 with six kills. Olivia Roa collected a match-leading 24 digs and Alyssa Rudd distributed a match-high 44 assists while also picking up 10 digs.
 
ERAU started strong, winning five of the first seven points, but Flagler quickly responded with a 4-0 spurt to take the lead, and the Saints grew their lead to 13-8 before long. After the Eagles scored three straight, FC rattled off six points in a row to stretch the lead to 19-11. The Blue and Gold were resilient, closing to within a pair on a James kill that made it 21-19, but Flagler was able to hang on for the 25-20 win.
 
Embry-Riddle got off to another fast start in the second set, jumping out to a 6-1 lead. The Saints got back within one (8-7), but the Eagles took control from that point, winning 10 of the next 11 rallies to pull away, 18-8, en route to a 25-17 win.
 
The Blue and Gold continued to ride the wave of momentum, dominating the opening stages of set three to the tune of an 11-2 run to kick things off. While the margin never edged into double-digits, the Eagles held the Saints at bay, maintaining a comfortable cushion throughout the frame as they went on to win the set, 25-18, taking a 2-1 lead in the match.
 
The theme of the night continued in set four as Embry-Riddle quickly jumped out in front, this time pushing its early 7-3 lead into a 12-5 advantage. Flagler got back to within three points on numerous occasions, but the Eagles never let the lead shrink below that threshold for the rest of the match, eventually going on to win the final set by a score of 25-19.
 
The Eagles are back in action tomorrow in the Bahama House Labor Day Classic as they take on Bentley at 1 p.m. and Oklahoma Baptist at 7 p.m.