DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Embry-Riddle volleyball lost to No. 13-ranked Lynn on Saturday at the ICI Center, with set scores of 19-25, 18-25 and 19-25.
The Eagles (10-5, 3-3 SSC) hit .157 for the match and posted its top set percentage in the second, finishing that set with 11 kills and one error on 36 attempts. The Fighting Knights (13-2, 5-1 SSC0 held advantages in kills, 47-28, and service aces, 10-3.
The Blue and Gold put together its strongest supported pushes in the second and third sets, each time working back from a multi-point deficit. In the second set, Embry-Riddle moved from down 13-7 to within 14-12, and in the third set it cut a 13-8 Fighting Knights lead to 14-12. Those stretches kept ERAU within reach during the middle portions of both sets, but the Fighting Knights' overall production created the broader separation across the match.
Lynn finished with advantages in kills, hitting percentage and service pressure, totaling 47 kills on a .282 attack percentage with 10 aces. The Eagles had 28 kills while hitting .157, added three aces and matched the Fighting Knights with five total blocks.
The Eagles dropped the opening set 25-19 after the Fighting Knights created separation with a mid-set serving stretch that included four straight Madison Jones aces and pushed ERAU into a 13-7 deficit. Earlier, Embry-Riddle started with a Lindsey Smith-
Ashtyn Good block, then got kills from Smith and
Stella Weisbrod before a
Haley Manjack-
Ashlyn Koerner block helped the home side move ahead 6-4. After the Fighting Knights built their lead, the Eagles answered in pieces, including a three-point stretch with a Smith kill, a Lynn attack error and a
Dakota Zieman kill to cut the margin to 18-13. Zieman and Weisbrod added late kills, but the Fighting Knights reached set point at 24-18 and finished the set on an Alexia Radulovic kill.
ERAU faced an early 5-1 deficit in the second set and got back to 8-6 with kills from Weisbrod, Smith and Manjack plus a team ace during
Ashley Lunt's service turn. The Fighting Knights pushed the margin to 13-7, but Embry-Riddle cut it to 14-12 as Zieman put down a kill, Good and Koerner combined on a block, Smith added another kill and Koerner followed with an ace. After the Fighting Knights moved ahead 19-15, the Eagles made another push with a Manjack kill, a Fighting Knights attack error and a second Manjack kill to get within 19-18. Lynn answered with the final six points, taking the second set 25-18.
Embry-Riddle was within 17-16 in the third set after Manjack's kill, but the Fighting Knights won the next five points and went on to take the set 25-19. Prior, the Eagles traded points through a tight opening stretch, getting kills from Zieman and a service ace from
Fifi Harvey to help pull even at 6-6. After the Fighting Knights moved ahead 13-8, ERAU cut the gap to 14-12 with a sequence that included a Smith kill, a Lynn service error and Harvey's kill. Manjack added three kills in the set, including two after the Eagles fell behind in the middle stages, while Koerner and
Kailey Hrbek teamed with Smith on late points before the Fighting Knights closed the set.
Inside the Statistics
- Zieman had seven kills for Embry-Riddle, while Smith added six kills on a .313 hitting percentage with three block assists.
- Smith has achieved a hitting percentage of at least .313 in two consecutive games.
- Koerner directed the offense with 20 assists and added eight digs, marking the 15th straight game in which she has recorded at least 20 set assists.
- Taylor Fonseca finished with 13 digs as ERAU totaled 41 digs.
- Fonseca has achieved a season milestone by recording 209 digs, including her performance in this game.
- Manjack, who had six kills in the match, has achieved 100 kills for the season, totaling 102 with her performance in this game.
Up Next
Embry-Riddle returns to play on Friday, Oct. 9, with match against Saint Leo at 6 p.m. at the ICI Center in Daytona Beach, Fla.
