DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Embry-Riddle volleyball returned to the ICI Center on Friday night and welcomed Nova Southeastern for the first of a five-match homestand. The Eagles (10-4, 3-2 SSC) swept the Sharks (8-8, 1-4 SSC) 3-0, winning 25-20, 25-16, 26-24.
ERAU hit .225 with 46 kills while holding Nova Southeastern to .167 and 36 kills. The Eagles also finished with a 9-1 advantage in service aces, exceeding their season average of 5.08, and had 61 digs to Nova Southeastern's 54. The result marked the first win against over NSU since Oct. 1, 2024 and the sixth sweep over the Sharks.
The Eagles repeatedly worked back from early deficits within sets, first moving from down 2-1 to a 6-3 lead and later winning seven of eight rallies in the opening set to move from 16-15 to 23-16. That stretch overlapped with four straight service points that pushed ERAU from 20-16 to 24-16. The largest in-set swing came in the second set, when Embry-Riddle trailed 6-2 before an 8-0 run produced a 10-6 lead, a sequence that included seven straight service points. In the third set, the Blue and Gold again moved in front after trailing 15-12, taking a 17-16 lead before closing from a 23-22 deficit to 26-24 and converting set point.
Serving also shaped the match, with the Eagles totaling nine aces to Nova Southeastern's one, while both teams finished with six total blocks.
Ashlyn Koerner directed the attack with 39 assists, exceeding her season average of 35.62, and
Stella Weisbrod added four aces and 15 digs, surpassing her season average of 7.31, as Embry-Riddle finished with a 61-54 edge in digs.
The Eagles overcame a 2-0 start from Nova Southeastern and moved in front by winning six of the next seven points, with
Dakota Zieman,
Haley Manjack and
Fifi Harvey recording kills during the push to a 6-3 lead. Nova Southeastern worked back to tie the set at 14-14, but Embry-Riddle answered with two points and, after Nova pulled back within one, Zieman put down a kill for a 17-15 advantage. From there, the Eagles won seven of eight rallies to reach set point at 24-16, with Zieman and
Lindsay Smith adding kills and Koerner serving an ace as part of four straight service points. The Sharks answered with four points, but Smith finished the set with a kill from Koerner for a 25-20 Embry-Riddle win.
After trailing 6-2 in the second set, ERAU answered with an 8-0 run and carried that surge into a 25-16 set win. Weisbrod served through the stretch, adding an ace, while Zieman had three kills and teamed with Manjack on a block before Manjack finished the run with a kill for a 10-6 lead. Nova Southeastern answered with two straight points to get to 10-8, but the Eagles responded with kills from Manjack and Smith, then added a
Kailey Hrbek-Koerner block assist and a Zieman ace to stay in front. The Blue and Gold created more separation with a late push that included a Harvey kill, Koerner-Manjack block assist, an
Ashley Lunt ace, and consecutive kills from Weisbrod, Manjack and Zieman before closing the set at 25-16.
Embry-Riddle erased a 24-22 deficit in the third set by winning the final four points, getting a kill from Harvey, a kill from Koerner, a Weisbrod service ace, and a Manjack kill from a Koerner assist to finish a 26-24 set win. Earlier, the Eagles answered a 6-3 hole with kills from Manjack and
Ashtyn Good around a block by Good and Koerner to tie the set at 6-6. Nova Southeastern moved back ahead 15-12, but ERAU responded with four straight points, including two Weisbrod aces and a Manjack kill, to go in front 16-15. The set stayed tight from there, with Smith helping Embry-Riddle keep pace with multiple late kills before a block by Harvey and Manjack tied it at 22-22. After the Sharks reached set point at 24-22, the Eagles closed the set on their own serve behind Weisbrod and completed the 26-24 finish.
Inside the Statistics
- Smith led Embry-Riddle with 13 kills while hitting .370, exceeding her season average of 10.0.
- Zieman added 12 kills, nine digs and two block assists, reaching the 200 points milestone for the season.
- Manjack recorded 11 kills on a .556 hitting percentage with three block assists, marking a season-high.
- Koerner finished with 39 assists, nine digs, two aces and three block assists, achieving the milestone of 500 set assists for the season.
- Weisbrod collected 15 digs and four aces, both of which were season highs.
- Good also achieved a season-high hitting percentage of .800 with four kills on five total attacks.
- With the win, ERAU snapped a three-match losing streak to the Sharks.
- Prior to Friday night's win, the Eagles last defeated NSU on Oct. 1, 2024 at home in Daytona Beach.
Up Next
The Eagles host #13 Lynn on Saturday at 4 p.m. at the ICI Center in Daytona Beach, Fla.
