WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle volleyball team suffered a loss in its final match of a two-match Sunshine State Conference weekend on Saturday. The Eagles fell to Palm Beach Atlantic in three sets, 25-20, 25-22, 25-17 and are now 13-10 overall and 4-8 in the SSC, while the Sailfish improved to 12-10 and 6-6 in conference play.
For the second match in a row,
Cameron Gilleland was the leading hitter for the Eagles with nine kills and seven digs.
Jaden McBride and
Jenna Bishop chipped in eight kills each, while
Kendyl Taylor led the team in digs (11) and service aces (4).
The Eagles trailed early in the first set, falling behind 3-0, but ERAU battled back to take an 8-5 lead on kill by Bishop who scored three of the Eagles' first eight points. The Sailfish were able to come back to tie the score and for the next few plays neither team was able to pull away, resulting in a 21-21 tie. A pair of Eagle attack errors helped PBAU take a two-point advantage and the home team held on to take the first set 25-22.
The second set feature another back-and-forth battle that led to an 18-18 deadlock. A controversial call helped the Sailfish break the tie and they closed out the set on a 6-2 run to finish at 25-20 and take a two-set lead.
Eight ties and four lead changes marked the scoring early in the third set. The eighth tie of the set came on a Bishop kill that made it 8-8. The Sailfish managed to maintain a two-point edge over the next few plays, but then an 8-2 run helped the home team widen that gap to seven (20-14) and PBAU rode that momentum to a 25-17 win in the third.
The Eagles will be back at the ICI Center on Tuesday to face Rollins at 7 p.m.
The 2022 Embry-Riddle volleyball season is presented by Radiology Associates.
