WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle volleyball team earned a hard-fought 3-2 win at Palm Beach Atlantic on Friday night, defeating the Sailfish 25-18, 24-26, 26-24, 23-25, 15-10. The win moves ERAU's season record to 19-4, 9-3 in SSC play, while PBA falls to 11-12, 4-8 in conference matches.
 
Jaden McBride led all players with 24 kills while Cameron Gilleland added 22 kills. Both players also had double-digit digs, with McBride collecting 10 and Gilleland picking up 13. Sam Lanning notched 10 blocks and seven kills and Amelia Hartnett tallied nine blocks and five kills. Emily Weaver registered a double-double with 10 digs and a match-high 52 assists, while Tamzen Wilson recorded a match-leading 29 digs.
 
A McBride kill early in the first set sparked a 7-0 run that turned a 4-4 tie into a commanding 11-4 lead for the Eagles. A 5-1 spurt increased the margin to 17-9, and the Blue and Gold wrapped up the set with a 3-0 rally to win it, 25-18.
 
Embry-Riddle scored the first three points of set two, but a 5-1 run for PBA put the home team in front, 8-6. The Eagles answered with three straight to retake the lead, 9-8, but the Sailfish quickly moved back ahead with a 4-0 run to make it 12-9. After ERAU tied it at 13, Palm Beach Atlantic went on an 11-2 run to earn set point at 24-15. From that point, Embry-Riddle put on an impressive display of resiliency, scoring nine straight points to stave off set point after set point until the score was tied at 24. Unfortunately for the Eagles, the comeback came up just short as PBA scored the next two points to hold on for a 26-24 set win.
 
Set three saw ERAU jump out to a 9-4 advantage only to see the Sailfish chip away until they eventually took the lead, 22-21. A McBride kill followed by a PBA error put the Eagles ahead, 23-22, but back-to-back ERAU errors gave Palm Beach Atlantic set point at 24-23. McBride again came up with a clutch kill, and after a Sailfish error, Gilleland scored the set-clinching kill to give the Eagles a 26-24 win and a 2-1 lead in the match.
 
Embry-Riddle fell behind in the fourth, 6-3, before turning things around to eventually pull out to a 19-13 lead. The Blue and Gold were ahead 22-17 when PBA caught fire, scoring eight of the next nine points to come from behind for a 25-23 set win, tying the match at two sets apiece.
 
In the fifth, kills from Melanie Canfield and McBride on consecutive points put the Eagles ahead, 5-3. A Gilleland kill a few points later sparked a 6-0 run that gave Embry-Riddle a commanding 14-7 lead. The Sailfish won the next three points, but an attack error thwarted their comeback attempt, giving ERAU a 15-10 win in the set and a 3-2 match victory.
 
The Eagles are back in action tomorrow afternoon when they take on Lynn in Boca Raton at 4 p.m.