DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Embry-Riddle volleyball team suffered its first Sunshine State Conference loss of the season on Saturday falling to 18
th-ranked Barry 3-0 at the ICI Center. The Eagles lost in straight sets (25-20, 25-22, 25-19) to move to 9-3 overall and 3-1 in the SSC. The Buccaneers remained unbeaten at 11-0 overall and 4-0 in the league.
In an otherwise close match, errors hurt the Eagles as they finished with 21 attack errors on the way to a .163 hitting percentage. On the other side of the net, Barry hit .268 for the match with just 11 errors to earn their 10
th straight-set win of the season.
Cameron Gilleland and
Jaden McBride led the Blue and Gold with 11 kills apiece, while Barry's Diana Akopova led all players with 19.
The Buccaneers jumped out to a 7-2 lead to start the match and didn't relinquish the lead in the first set. The Eagles closed the gap to two points (15-13), but Akopova registered kills on three off Barry's last four points to lead the visitors to the first set win.
The second set was the most competitive of the match. Barry scored the first two points of a frame that featured four ties and two lead changes, but the Eagles rallied to tie the score at 10-10. Trailing 22-16, the Eagles scored five points in a row to make 22-21. The margin was still just one point at 23-22, but the Buccaneers were able to get the points they needed to close out the set and grab a 2-0 advantage.
The third framed looked promising for the Eagles who opened the set on a 7-2 run. Despite a Barry run that helped them overtake ERAU, the Eagles still remained close at 13-11, but the Buccaneers were able to slowly pull away and finish out the set.
The Eagles' next test will be a Sept. 23 road match at top-ranked Tampa. Match time is slated for 7 p.m.
The 2022 Embry-Riddle volleyball season is presented by Radiology Associates.
