DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle volleyball team suffered its sixth conference loss of the season on Tuesday evening, falling to Florida Tech in four sets (25-23, 14-25, 30-28, 25-18) at the ICI Center. The Eagles now stand at 13-8 overall and 4-6 in the Sunshine State conference, while the Panthers, who snapped an eight-match losing streak against the Eagles, move to 12-9 overall and 4-6 in the SSC.
Jaden McBride and
Cameron Gilleland each had a double-double with McBride registering 18 kills, 10 digs, three block assists and two service aces, and Gilleland finishing with 17 kills and 11 digs.
Devyn Petrowski dished out a team-high 30 assists, while
Gabriela Pagan led the Eagles with 19 digs.
The Panthers scored the first three points of the contest and led 22-15 late in the first set. The Eagles made things interesting behind the serve of
Devyn Petrowski as they went on a 7-0 run to trim the deficit to just one point at 23-22, but Florida Tech was able to hold on and grab the two points they needed to take set one 25-23.
The Eagles got off to a strong start in set two opening the frame on a 5-1 run. The Panthers managed to narrow the gap to three points, but once again having Petrowski behind the service line proved beneficial for the Blue and Gold as another 7-0 helped the Eagles roll to a 25-14 win.
What turned out to be a crucial third set saw both teams experience momentum swings with seven ties and three lead changes in the set. The score was close early in the frame until the Eagles used a pair of three-point spurts to go up 17-11. The Panthers came storming back and a 4-0 run helped the visitors take a 23-22 edge. The Eagles fought off three match points and knotted the score four times before Florida Tech registered back-to-back kills to win the set 30-28 and take a 2-1 lead in the match.
The Eagles held a two-point (5-3) advantage to start the fourth, but the lead was short-lived as the Panthers outscored the Blue and Gold 10-1 to take a 22-14 lead. The Eagles got a pair of kills from
Dana Gibbons late in the set to make it a five-point (23-18) game, but the Panthers didn't let the home team get any closer, closing out the match with a 25-18 win in the final set.
The Eagles are back on the road for two more conference matches this weekend beginning with a trip to Miami Shores to take on No. 16 Barry at 7 p.m.
The 2022 Embry-Riddle volleyball season is presented by Radiology Associates.
