DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle volleyball team fell in four sets to visiting 12th-ranked Tampa on Friday night, 25-18, 22-25, 25-21, 25-18. The loss drops the Eagles to 15-3 overall and 7-3 in conference play, while the Spartans go to 15-2 and 9-1 in league matches.
 
Jaden McBride led all players with 20 kills and hit a team-high .320 to go along with 11 digs and five blocks. Cameron Gilleland added 14 kills and 17 digs, while Sam Lanning tallied a match-high nine blocks (two solo). Emily Weaver registered a match-leading 39 assists and added 10 digs, while Tamzen Wilson collected a team-best 21 digs.
 
The Blue and Gold took an early lead in set one and built it to as many as five points (10-5), but a 5-0 Spartan run tied things up at 13. Tampa then closed out the frame on an 8-1 run to win the opening set, 25-18.
 
Set two saw the visitors score the first five points, but Embry-Riddle wasted no time cutting into the lead, and just a few minutes later the set was tied 7-7. The Spartans regained the lead and managed to keep the Eagles from pulling ahead until a late rally, as ERAU finished the set on a 10-4 spurt to win it, 25-22.
 
The third set bounced back and forth, featuring 10 ties and four lead changes. An 8-2 run by the Eagles put the home team ahead, 15-12, but it was the Spartans that put on a late charge in this set, closing it out on a 6-1 run to win the set, 25-21, taking a 2-1 lead in the match.
 
Embry-Riddle held a slim lead early in set four, but a 7-1 Tampa run put UT ahead 11-6, and the Spartans didn't give up the lead from that point. A block by Lanning and Amelia Hartnett closed the gap to two (13-11), but that was as close as ERAU would get for the remainder of the set, as Tampa pulled away late for a 25-18 win to seal the match, three sets to one.
 
The Eagles return to the court tomorrow afternoon as they host Florida Southern at 4 p.m. in another SSC match.