AIKEN, S.C. – The Embry-Riddle volleyball team got its 2021 season off to a good start on Friday, as ERAU downed Augusta and North Greenville on the first day of the USC Aiken Invitational. After 638 days without playing a match, the Blue and Gold won six of the seven sets that it played, beating Augusta 3-1 before sweeping NGU.
 
ERAU 3, Augusta 1
 
Embry-Riddle bounced back from a first-set defeat to beat Augusta, 22-25, 25-22, 25-22, 25-13. ERAU got off to a slow start but battled back with a 4-0 run to tie the set at 14-14, but a few points later the Jaguars rattled off six straight to pull ahead, 23-17. The Eagles rallied to pull within two (24-22), but the comeback bid came up a few points short as AU won the frame, 25-22.
 
Set two saw Augusta jump out to a 6-2 advantage only to see Embry-Riddle fight back to tie the set at nine. The Jaguars regained the lead and stretched the margin to as many as five points, leading 21-16 late in the set. A quick 3-0 spurt for ERAU made it 21-19, and after an AU kill made it 22-19, the Blue and Gold caught fire. A Sam Lanning kill sparked a 6-0 run, capped by a set-winning service ace from Kendyl Taylor that clinched it at 25-22.
 
The Eagles finally got off to a good start in the third set, jumping out to a 9-3 lead early on. Augusta got back to within three at 11-8, but ERAU maintained a cushion for the remainder of the frame. Late in the set, AU went on a 6-1 run to trim the deficit to a single point (22-21), but Embry-Riddle held its lead and finished the set with back-to-back kills from Emily Weaver and Cameron Gilleland to win it, 25-22, pulling ahead in the match two sets to one.
 
Embry-Riddle opened the fourth set by winning six of the first seven points, eventually pushing its lead to 12-5 in the early stages. A 6-0 run midway through the set really put things out of reach for Augusta as ERAU increased its lead to double digits at 19-9. The Eagles wrapped things up on a 5-2 run to finish off the set at 25-13, clinching the match, 3-1.
 
A pair of freshmen led the way, as Gilleland led all players in kills (16) and digs (19), while Jaden McBride recorded a double-double of her own with 12 kills and 13 digs; both players also notched a pair of service aces. Emily Weaved doled out 39 assists to go along with eight digs and two service aces, while Kendyl Taylor racked up 18 digs. Sam Lanning totaled seven kills and eight blocks (one solo).
 
ERAU 3, North Greenville 0
 
After a break of just over an hour, the Eagles were back on the court to face North Greenville. The Blue and Gold were dominant from start to finish in this one, sweeping the Crusaders 25-13, 25-17, 25-16.
 
ERAU won the first three points of the match and very quickly established a commanding lead at 16-4. NGU had a late 4-1 run, but it wasn't enough to challenge the Blue and Gold as Embry-Riddle cruised to a 25-13 win in the opening frame.
 
The Eagles again got off to a quick start in set two, scoring the first three points en route to an 8-2 lead. The Crusaders responded with six straight points to tie the set at eight, but it didn't take long for ERAU to re-establish a comfortable margin. A 3-0 burst made it 12-9 and a 6-1 run later in the set pushed the advantage to 21-14. The two sides essentially traded sideouts for the rest of the frame as Embry-Riddle took the set, 25-17.
 
The third set was close in the early stages, with neither team leading by more than two points over the course of the first 22 rallies. An Amelia Hartnett kill at 11-11 sparked a 3-0 spurt that grew into a 9-1 run to make it 20-12. The Eagles closed things out with back-to-back kills by McBride, taking the third set 25-16 to complete the sweep.
 
McBride was the only Eagle to reach double-figures in kills with 14, while Gilleland notched eight kills and Lanning tallied six kills and six blocks (one solo). Emily Weaver had a match-high 25 assists and a team-high eight digs.
 
The Eagles are back in action tomorrow as they wrap up the USC Aiken Invitational with two more matches. ERAU will take on Carson-Newman at 12 p.m., followed by a 6 p.m. contest against Converse.