DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – It took nearly two-and-a-half hours, but the Embry-Riddle volleyball team survived its strongest challenge of the 2021 season on Saturday, defeating visiting Palm Beach Atlantic in five sets (29-31, 26-28, 25-19, 25-21, 17-15) to go to 12-0 on the season, 4-0 in SSC matches. The Sailfish dropped to 5-7 overall and 1-3 in league play.
 
All told, the two teams combined for 355 attacks, 141 kills, 126 digs, 21 blocks, and 18 service aces. Seven players recorded double-digit kills, five had double-figure digs, and 10 different players recorded an assist. For the match, there were a total of 35 ties and 16 lead changes.
 
A trio of Eagles each tallied 12 kills to lead the team, including Cameron Gilleland, Jaden McBride, and Sam Lanning. Gilleland also recorded 16 digs to lead the team along with Kendyl Taylor, who also had 16 digs, while McBride tallied a match-high three service aces and Lanning racked up a match-high nine blocks. Amelia Hartnett chipped in with seven kills and eight blocks, while Jenna Bishop hit .563 with nine kills and added five blocks. Emily Weaver notched 35 assists and Devyn Petrowksi tallied 13 assists as the Blue and Gold switched to a 6-2 offense in the latter stages of the match.
 
ERAU jumped out to an early 7-2 lead in the first set, but the Sailfish chipped away at the deficit and eventually drew even at 13-13. PBA took the lead at 16-15 and extended it to 20-17, but a quick 3-0 run brought the Eagles back on level terms at 20-20. A McBride kill pushed Embry-Riddle ahead, 23-22, only to see PBA score two straight points to earn set point at 24-23. Another McBride kill staved off the first set point, and a Hartnett kill followed that to give ERAU its first opportunity to clinch the frame at 25-24. Three straight sideouts kept things going until a Sailfish ace gave the visitors another set point at 27-26. The Eagles stayed alive thanks a Weaver kill, and they kept the Sailfish at bay with two more kills from Gilleland on set points three and four for the Sailfish. A blocking error at 29-29 gave Palm Beach Atlantic its fifth set point, and this time they cashed in with a service ace, clinching the opening set, 31-29.
 
Embry-Riddle led 3-1 early in set two but a 4-0 spurt erased that quickly and put PBA in front, 5-3. The Sailfish increased the lead to seven points at 20-13, but the Blue and Gold rallied with a 9-2 run that tied things up at 23. Palm Beach Atlantic had a chance to take the set at 24-23, but another clutch McBride kill kept the home team in it. Two points later a Canfield kill made it 25-25 and Tamzen Wilson followed that with a service ace to give ERAU its first set point of the second set at 26-25. The Sailfish responded with three straight points to steal the frame, 28-26, and go up 2-0 in the match.
 
PBA took an early 8-4 lead in the third, but the Blue and Gold did not back down. Aly Freeland registered a service ace on the very first point that she appeared in this season, which seemed to provide a spark of energy to the Eagle bench. That ace was the second point of what became a 7-1 run that lifted Embry-Riddle ahead, 11-9. A McBride kill built the lead to 18-13, and a few points later a Canfield kill pushed it to 23-16. The Sailfish scored three straight points, but couldn't get any closer than 23-19, as a service error and a block from Gilleland and Lanning served to close the door on the third set at 25-19.
 
The fourth set was the only one to not feature a single lead change, and only one tie. That tie came at 4-4, which was followed immediately by a 5-1 Eagle run to put the home team ahead, 9-5. A Lanning kill made it 13-7 and another Lanning kill increased the lead to 18-11. A late 4-0 run for the Eagles put things seemingly out of reach at 22-14, and four points later the Blue and Gold had eight set points at 24-16. It turned out that ERAU needed six of those, as PBA rattled off five in a row to cut it to 24-21 before a Bishop kill finally secured the frame, 25-21, sending the match to a fifth set.
 
Despite the fifth set being a sprint 15 points, the two teams still found a way to combine for 11 ties and five lead changes. The Sailfish had an early 6-1 run that put them in the driver's seat with a 9-5 lead. But the Eagles found some life and quickly tied the set at 10 and took a brief 11-10 lead with another Lanning/Gilleland block. The visitors scored the next two points to regain the lead, 12-11, and after trading sideouts, PBA was only two points away from victory with a 13-12 lead. McBride stepped up with a kill on the next point and Hartnett and Bishop combined for a huge double-block to turn the tide, putting ERAU on the precipice with a 14-13 lead. A fluke dig-kill for the Sailfish staved off the first match point, and PBA looked to be in position to earn its first match point during the next rally, but an amazing one-handed dig by Gilleland led to a Bishop kill, putting ERAU ahead 15-14. After the Sailfish once again survived match point, the Blue and Gold were able to string together two points thanks to some tough defense that forced two PBA errors, giving the Eagles a 17-15 win in the fifth set and a 3-2 victory in the match.
 
Next up for the Eagles is a road match at Barry on Tuesday, Sept. 28. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. in Miami Shores.