ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle volleyball team improved to 6-0 on the season with a pair of wins at the Flagler Saints Classic on Friday. The Blue and Gold swept West Virginia Wesleyan (25-12, 25-11, 25-15) to open the tournament before escaping with a 3-2 win over Lindenwood (25-21, 25-12, 23-25, 24-26, 18-16) later in the afternoon.
 
ERAU 3, West Virginia Wesleyan 0
 
The Blue and Gold kicked off the tournament with a dominant performance, sweeping West Virginia Wesleyan 25-12, 25-11, 25-15. The Eagles outhit the Bobcats .458 to -.109 for the match; in each set, ERAU hit .368 or higher while holding WVWU below .000.
 
Embry-Riddle jumped out to a 10-4 lead early in set and never looked back. An Emily Weaver kill made it 16-9 and sparked a 6-0 run that increased the margin to 21-9, and ERAU wrapped up the set with a 4-0 spurt to take it by a score of 25-12.
 
The second set saw the Blue and Gold go up 8-3 early on; once again it was a Weaver kill in the middle stages of the frame that began a rally, this time a 5-0 run, that built the lead to 17-7. Embry-Riddle closed out the second set by winning six of the final seven points to win 25-11.
 
Early in the third set, ERAU rattled off seven straight points to run out to an 11-3 advantage. A 5-0 run, keyed by a pair of Tamzen Wilson service aces, brought the lead up to double-digits at 17-6. The Bobcats clawed back to within six at 17-11, but the Blue and Gold maintained a comfortable lead as it cruised to a 25-15 set win, completing its fourth straight sweep.
 
Jaden McBride (8 kills, .800 attack %) and Cameron Gilleland (8 kills, .500 attack %) led the way offensively, while Kendyl Taylor picked up a match-high seven digs and Amia Owolabi tallied a match-leading four blocks (one solo). Emily Weaver notched 17 assists to go along with three digs, two kills, and two service aces.
 
ERAU 3, Lindenwood 2
 
The Eagles got off to a strong start against Lindenwood, winning four of the first five points. But the Lions fought back, using a 4-0 run to take a 10-8 lead. A service error made it 12-10 and gave the serve back to ERAU which served to kickstart a 9-1 spurt, pushing the Blue and Gold back in front, 18-13. The two sides traded sideouts for all but one of the final 15 points as Embry-Riddle maintained a comfortable margin en route to a 25-21 win.
 
In set two, despite never scoring more than four consecutive points, ERAU steadily built a commanding lead and cruised to a 25-12 win. The Eagles only allowed a single point to the Lions on their serve, siding out at a 91.7% clip. Embry-Riddle recorded 20 kills against just two errors on 36 swings, good for a .500 attack percentage in the frame.
 
The third set was extremely competitive, featuring 13 ties and five lead changes. Neither side led by more than two points until a Lindenwood 3-0 run put them up by a score of 15-12. The Eagles responded with three straight points to tie it at 15, but two points later the Lions embarked on a 4-0 rally that made it 20-16 Lindenwood. ERAU fought back, with a McBride kill closing the gap to one point (24-23), but a blocking error gave the Lions the next point, ending the set at 25-23.
 
Set four saw the Blue and Gold run out to an 11-5 lead early on, only to see LU battle back to within a point at 19-18. A Gilleland kill followed by back-to-back McBride aces made it 22-18, but the Lions did not go quietly, rattling off five straight points to take a 23-22 lead. Melanie Canfield put down a kill to tie it and an attack error gave ERAU its first match point at 24-23. Unfortunately for the Eagles, Lindenwood strung together three straight points, including two blocks, to clinch the set, 26-24, sending the match to a fifth set.
 
The Blue and Gold grabbed the momentum early in the fifth, racing out to a 7-3 lead. The Lions retaliated with a 5-1 run to even things at 8-8. A few points later, Sam Lanning put down a kill to push ERAU ahead, 11-10. From that point, the teams traded two-point runs, with Lindenwood taking leads of 12-11 and 14-13, the latter of which resulted in a match point for the Lions. An attack error made it 14-14, but an ERAU service error put LU in position to win the match once again. This time it was a Gilleland kill that tied things at 15, but Lindenwood registered a kill on the following play to make it 16-15, the third time the Lions were within a point of taking the match. McBride stepped up in that pivotal moment, securing kills on the next two points to flip the script, putting ERAU in the driver's seat at 17-16. Canfield served an ace on the next point, clinching the set at 18-16, and with it, the match.
 
McBride posted career highs in kills (26) and digs (19), while Gilleland also set a career high with 21 kills. Kendyl Taylor posted a career-best 27 digs and Emily Weaver established a new career high with 53 assists. Amelia Hartnett tied her career mark with eight blocks (three solo), and Sam Lanning chipped in with nine kills and seven blocks (two solo).
 
The Eagles will return to the court in St. Augustine tomorrow to conclude the Flagler Saints Classic with two more matches. First up is a 3 p.m. contest against Shorter, followed by the nightcap against the host Saints at 7:30 p.m.