HOOVER, Ala. – Embry-Riddle Volleyball notched a pair of straight-set victories to open tournament play at the South Region Crossover on Friday. The Eagles opened the day with a 3-0 sweep of Lee (6-17) and capped the day's play with a 3-0 defeat of Mississippi College (17-3). The wins put the Eagles at 12-7 on the year.
 
The Eagles will close out tournament play against Auburn Montgomery at 1:30 p.m. (CDT) on Saturday.
 
Embry-Riddle vs. Lee
The first match of the day featured a breakout performance by freshman Dana Gibons who totaled a career-best 10 kills and three total blocks while hitting .643. Cameron Gilleland led all players with 12 kills, eight digs and two service aces as the Eagles downed Lee in straight sets 25-21, 25-10, 25-20.
 
The first set was competitive even though the Eagles maintained the lead throughout. Lee scored the first point of the day, but the Eagles scored the next four in a row to take over the lead. The Lady Flames were able to tie the score briefly at 8-8, but Eagles immediately jumped back in front and used a 6-1 run to open an 18-12 advantage and closed out the set with a 25-21 win.
 
Runs by both sides marked the start of the second set. The Eagles started things off with a 6-0 run, but the Lady Flames put together a 5-1 spurt of their own to narrow the gap to 7-5. Another 6-1 run staked the Blue and Gold to a 10-point (16-6) lead and the Eagles never looked back, cruising to a 25-10 win to go up 2-0 in the match.
 
The third set proved to be the most competitive of the contest and featured 10 ties and four lead changes. At 10-10, the Lady Flames put together a 4-0 run, but a 6-0 run in response put the Eagles back in front and ERAU recorded seven of the last nine points to secure the sweep, 25-20.
 
Embry-Riddle vs. Mississippi College
Gilleland (10) and Jaden McBride (14) combined for 24 kills to lead the Eagles to their second sweep of the day as they topped the Choctaws 25-15, 25-20, 25-23. Lexie Hage led all players with 20 assists, while Gibons tallied a career-high four total blocks.
 
Service aces were the name of the game for the Eagles in set one of their match against Mississippi College. ERAU managed just eight kills in the set, but six unreturnable serves helped the Eagles down the Choctaws 25-15 in the first frame.
 
The Eagles used a .265 hitting percentage and four blocks to take set two. McBride scored kills on seven of her 15 attempts to help the Eagles pull away from the Choctaws and win the second set 25-15.
 
The Choctaws had the Eagles back on their heels to start the third set, racing out to an 11-2 lead. The Eagles managed to rebound and put a few points together to pull within five (13-8), but the Choctaws used a pair of kills and a pair of service aces to widen the gap to 18-8. The Eagles were unfazed by the 10-point deficit, however, and steadily chipped away at the lead. The Eagle run began with a pair of kills by Gilleland and Gibons and a pair of blocks by Olivia Hartmann off the bench cut the Mississippi College advantage to four (18-14).
 
The lead was still four points (23-19) for the Choctaws until their third service error of the set gave the Eagles a point and the ball. From the point, the Eagles never looked back. They rattled off six unanswered points to register a 25-23 comeback win in the third and complete the sweep.