DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Embry-Riddle volleyball defeated Saint Leo 3-0 on Friday at the ICI Center, winning by set scores of 25-21, 25-22 and 25-19. The Eagles (11-5, 4-3 SSC) hit .319 with 52 kills and reached at least 16 kills in each set. The Eagles also finished with 52 digs and six service aces, exceeding their season average of 5.2 service aces, while the Lions (5-13, 1-7 SSC) had 36 kills and 42 digs.
Embry-Riddle answered an early challenge by turning an 11-12 deficit in the first set into a 16-13 lead, giving the Blue and Gold its first supplied swing of the match. The larger stretch came in set three, when ERAU moved from a 5-4 edge to a 12-4 advantage with a 7-0 run that included a pair of aces and three kills from Daktoa Zieman.
ERAU's attack carried much of the full-match profile, finishing with 52 kills on a .319 hitting percentage compared with Saint Leo's 36 kills and .262 mark. The Eagles also held advantages in assists, 49-35, digs, 52-42, and service aces, 6-4, while Saint Leo finished with a 3-1 edge in total blocks. Zieman supplied 17 kills and 12 digs, while
Ashlyn Koerner orchestrated the offense with 41 assists and added three aces.
The Eagles answered a 12-11 deficit in the first set by moving in front 16-13, with
Lindsay Smith tying the score, a Saint Leo attack error putting the home team ahead and
Haley Manjack adding two kills during the stretch. Earlier, the set stayed tight before Koerner served an ace for an 8-6 lead, though Saint Leo came back to go ahead 12-11. ERAU followed its mid-set move with kills from Zieman and
Stella Weisbrod, plus a Manjack-Koerner block, to reach 20-15 before Saint Leo closed to 20-18. Zieman, Weisbrod and Manjack supplied late kills, and Zieman finished the set with a kill from Koerner's assist as Embry-Riddle took the set 25-21.
ERAU held off a late Saint Leo push to win the second set 25-22, with Smith delivering three kills over the home side's final four points before Manjack closed it. To start the set, the Eagles opened with kills from Smith and
Ashtyn Good and a service ace by Koerner to go up 3-0, then rebuilt their edge after Saint Leo tied the set at 3-3.
Taylor Fonseca added an ace during a stretch that moved Embry-Riddle ahead 7-4, and kills from Weisbrod, Zieman and Good helped keep the set in the Blue and Gold's control through the middle points. Saint Leo narrowed a 20-16 ERAU advantage to 21-20, but Smith answered twice through Koerner assists and once from Weisbrod before Manjack finished the set on Koerner's assist.
Embry-Riddle created separation in the third set with a 7-0 run from 5-4 to 12-4, with
Maddey Cruse serving the final six points of the stretch and recording back-to-back aces. Manjack opened that service run with a kill from Koerner, and Zieman supplied three straight kills to close it. Zieman continued to carry key side-out points through the middle of the set, adding kills that moved ERAU to 13-5, 14-5, 15-7 and 16-9. After Saint Leo moved within 17-13, Manjack recorded kills for ERAU's next two points, and Zieman followed with kills for the next two Embry-Riddle points to make it 21-15. ERAU reached 24-16 on a Good kill and a Saint Leo attack error, then absorbed three straight Saint Leo points before Smith ended the set at 25-19 off Koerner's assist.
Inside the Statistics
- Smith's attack was quite productive with a .579 hitting percentage, totaling 13 kills on 19 swings and just two errors.
- For the sixth time this season, Zieman has recorded 15 or more kills in a match with a team-high 17 on Friday night, adding a .289 attacking percentage.
- Zieman has also surpassed 200 kills and 100 digs this season, recording a team-leading 12 digs against the Lions.
- Manjack hit .444 with nine kills on 18 attempts while Good connected on four of seven attempts for a .429 attacking percentage.
- Koerner notched 41 assists and three service aces, nearing 2,500 career assists.
- Cruse recorded two service aces in her collegiate debut, adding four digs as well.
Up Next
ERAU hosts Eckerd on Saturday at 4 p.m. at the ICI Center.
