BOCA RATON, Fla. — Embry-Riddle volleyball traveled to Boca Raton, Fla. for a tough road contest at No. 8 Lynn on Friday night The Eagles battled (14-9, 7-7 SSC) with the Fighting Knights (20-3, 12-2 SSC), but ultimately fell 3-2 at de Hoernle Sports & Cultural Center, with set scores of 17-25, 25-23, 22-25, 25-19 and 14-16.
ERAU produced its sharpest extended response in the fourth set, turning a 19-16 deficit into a 25-19 set finish with a 9-0 run. That stretch included eight straight service points, and the Eagles moved in front late in the set on a Lynn error before continuing through the closing points. Embry-Riddle also had to come back in the second set, taking leads after trailing by four and again after trailing by three, then closing the set with a four-point burst and converting set point at 24-23.
The match stayed close statistically in several areas, with ERAU finishing with 58 kills and a .169 hitting percentage while Lynn had 61 kills and hit .167. Lynn held a 16-11 edge in total blocks, while the Eagles had 78 digs to the Fighting Knights' 73 and both teams recorded six service aces. ERAU's 11 blocks surpassed its season average of 5.86, its six service aces exceeded its season average of 5.32, and its 78 digs were above its season average of 55.68.
Dakota Zieman finished with 20 kills,
Lindsay Smith added 15 kills while hitting .364, and
Ashlyn Koerner had 47 assists, 22 digs and four aces.
To start, Embry-Riddle built an early 2-0 edge in the opening frame, then kept answering as the first set moved through at 9-9, 10-10 and 11-11. Zieman, Smith and
Stella Weisbrod supplied early kills, Koerner had a block point at 10-10 and later served an ace that put the Eagles ahead 12-11.
Kailey Hrbek and Smith added kills around a Smith block as the Blue and Gold moved in front 15-13, but Lynn responded with five consecutive points to turn that lead into an 18-15 deficit. Weisbrod stopped the stretch with a kill, but Lynn followed with another five-point run to reach 23-16 before closing the set 25-17.
Embry-Riddle came back from multiple deficits to take the second set from Lynn, 25-23. Earlier, after falling behind 9-5, ERAU got a block from
Haley Manjack and Smith to regain serve, then moved ahead 10-9 behind two Zieman kills, an
Ashley Lunt ace and a Manjack block. When Lynn went back up 14-11, Zieman had three kills during a four-point response, with Hrbek adding a block, to put the Eagles in front 15-14. Lynn later pushed ERAU into an 18-15 deficit, but Koerner's consecutive aces completed a response that tied the set at 18-18, and Smith's kill put the Blue and Gold up 21-20. After Lynn moved ahead 23-22, Manjack tied it with a kill, Zieman put Embry-Riddle at set point, and Lunt served an ace to close the set.
The Eagles cut the Fighting Knights's late lead to one point and later got back within 23-21, but Lynn closed the third set 25-22. Earlier, Smith put down consecutive kills from Koerner to move the Eagles ahead 4-3, and Weisbrod added two early kills as the teams stayed even through 9-9. Lynn moved in front 19-15 before Zieman and Smith answered with kills, including a Smith finish from
Taylor Fonseca that made it 19-18. After the Fighrting Knights stretched the margin back to 22-18, Embry-Riddle got a Hrbek block touch on an attack error, a Weisbrod kill and another Smith kill before Lynn reached set point and finished the set on an ERAU attack error.
The Eagles erased a 19-16 deficit in the fourth set by scoring the final nine points, with Fonseca serving the last eight points of a 25-19 win. Earlier, Zieman supplied four kills by the time ERAU reached 12-12, while Smith and Weisbrod helped keep the visitors level through a set with repeated ties. Lynn moved in front 17-13 during a stretch that included two Embry-Riddle attack errors, but Smith, Fonseca and a Hrbek block helped pull the visitors back within one at 17-16. After Lynn later led 19-16, Weisbrod had two kills around a Manjack block to tie the set at 19-19, and the Blue and Gold finished the run with kills from Manjack and Smith before Manjack ended the set from Koerner.
ERAU moved within a point of taking the fifth set at 14-13, but Lynn answered with the final three points to take the set 16-14. Earlier, Zieman opened the set with back-to-back kills from Koerner, and Lunt added a kill as ERAU built a 4-0 lead. The lead reached 6-1 on kills by Zieman and Hrbek before Lynn worked back to tie the set at 8-8 and later move in front 9-8. The Eagles continued to respond, getting a Zieman kill to tie it at 12-12 and a Smith kill from Koerner for a 13-12 edge, but Lynn closed the set with two Lira Pukl Verdel kills and a block on the final point.
Inside the Statistics
- Koerner recorded 47 assists, 22 digs and four service aces, with the 22 digs marking both a career high and a season high.
- Zieman scored 20 points behind 20 kills and added eight digs.
- Zieman's 20 kills surpassed a season average of 13.59.
- Smith finished with 15 kills while hitting .364 and added four total blocks.
- Hrbek collected five total blocks, including a season-high three solo blocks, and added two kills.
- Manjack also had a season-high three solo blocks.
Up Next
ERAU volleyball visits Nova Southeastern on Saturday at 4 p.m. ET at Rick Case Arena in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
