DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle volleyball team picked up a pair of wins on Saturday, the final day of the Bahama House Labor Day Classic. The Eagles knocked off Bentley in three sets (25-20, 25-21, 25-15) and capped the tournament with a 3-0 win over Oklahoma Baptist (25-14, 25-16, 25-16). The Eagles improved to 6-1 with the wins, while Bentley dropped to 1-5 and OBU fell to 3-6.
ERAU 3, BU 0
The Blue and Gold outhit the Falcons .272 to .066 in a dominating performance, led by
Erika Barbour's 13 kills and
Melanie Canfield's 12 kills.
Theresa Jordan and
McKenna James each chipped in with nine kills, while Jordan also added 14 digs.
Olivia Roa collected a match-high 24 digs and
Alyssa Rudd circulated a match-best 42 assists.
ERAU turned a 10-9 deficit into a 15-11 lead thanks to a 6-1 run and never looked back, going on to claim a 25-20 win in the opening set.
In set two, ERAU jumped out to a 6-2 lead thanks to a pair of Jordan service aces. After BU closed to within three (12-9), the Eagles rallied for six straight points and finished the frame on a 13-2 run, pulling away for the 25-11 win.
Set three saw the Blue and Gold grab hold of a 10-3 lead early on, and the lead would remain comfortable throughout the rest of the set. ERAU used a 5-0 run to pull away late (19-10), and cruised to a 25-15 win, completing the 3-0 sweep.
ERAU 3, OBU 0
The Eagles were dominant once again in the nightcap, outhitting the Bison .288 to .067. Barbour again led all players with 16 kills and added 13 digs, while James had 10 kills and hit .563. Rudd notched a double-double with 36 assists and 13 digs and Roa anchored the back line with a match-leading 28 digs.
The first set was highlighted by an extended 18-6 run that pushed the home team to a commanding 21-9 lead. The teams traded sideouts for the set's final eight points, but that suited the Eagles just fine as they coasted to a 25-14 win.
Embry-Riddle found itself trailing 11-8 in the second set before going on a 6-1 run to take a 14-12 lead. Oklahoma Baptist answered with three straight points of its own to retake the lead, 15-14, but a block from Jordan and
Sam Lanning sparked a 7-0 spurt that became a set-ending 11-1 run as ERAU took the set, 25-16.
The Bison got off to their best start in the third set, jumping out to a 6-2 lead thanks to five straight kills. The lead grew as large as five (9-4) before a James kill started a 4-0 run to pull the Eagles to within a point (9-8). Another 4-0 run ignited by a Rudd kill helped the Blue and Gold take the lead, 13-11. Embry-Riddle once again closed out the set strongly, winning 11 of the final 14 points to win the frame, 25-16, completing another 3-0 sweep.
The Eagles are back in action on Friday, Sept. 7, when they open the Sunshine State Conference portion of the schedule with a road match at Rollins beginning at 7 p.m.
