DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Melanie Canfield became the ninth member of the 1,000-kill club at Embry-Riddle with a five-kill effort on Saturday afternoon to help the Embry-Riddle volleyball team sweep visiting Saint Leo, 25-20, 25-21, 25-20. The win moves ERAU to 14-2 on the year and 6-2 in SSC play, while the Lions drop to 6-10 overall, 2-6 in conference matches.
 
Jaden McBride tallied a match-high 15 kills to go along with 11 digs for her sixth double-double of the year, while Cameron Gilleland, Sam Lanning, and Amelia Hartnett all chipped in with six kills. Gilleland added 11 digs, as did Tamzen Wilson, tying for the team-high with McBride. Emily Weaver notched 28 assists, and Canfield had five blocks to go along with her five kills.
 
The Blue and Gold started strong with kills from Hartnett and McBride on the first two points, helping ERAU jump out to a 4-0 lead. Saint Leo battled back to tie it at 7-7, but a 5-1 run pushed the Eagles back in front, 13-9. Embry-Riddle created some separation with a 6-0 spurt that was capped by back-to-back blocks from Jenna Bishop, building the lead to 21-12. The Lions responded with an 8-2 rally of their own, trimming the deficit to 23-20, but an attack error gave Embry-Riddle four set points and McBride capitalized on the first opportunity with a kill to close out the set, 25-20.
 
Set two saw ERAU score the first four points once again, this time building to an early 7-2 lead. Like set one, Embry-Riddle increased the lead to nine (20-11) with a 5-0 run, at which point Saint Leo rallied with a 9-2 run to make it 22-20. After two sideouts, the Eagles got kills from Hartnett and McBride to finish off the frame with a 25-21 win.
 
The third set saw the first lead change of the match when the Lions scored three straight points to go up 4-3. Back-to-back blocks from Canfield quickly swung the advantage back to Embry-Riddle, which would prove to be the last lead change of the match. A quick 4-1 run increased the lead to 9-6, and after the Lions tied it at 11, ERAU used a 4-0 rally to take a 15-11 lead. The Blue and Gold maintained a comfortable lead for the rest of the set, with McBride providing her third set-clinching kill of the match to give the Eagles a 25-20 win in the third set.
 
Embry-Riddle will hit the road on Tuesday, Oct. 12 for a quick trip to Rollins for a 7 p.m. match.