WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — In gritty fashion, Embry-Riddle volleyball earned a reverse sweep of Palm Beach Atlantic on Tuesday night, winning three straight sets after falling 18-25 and 21-25 in the first two frames.
The Eagles (18-9, 11-7 SSC) rallied against the Sailfish (14-15, 7-11 SSC) at Rubin Arena in West Palm Beach, Fla. for the 3-2 win, picking up 25-20, 25-28, and 15-10 wins in sets three through five, respectively.
Embry-Riddle had to work through deficits in multiple sets, with their largest early swing coming after Palm Beach Atlantic built a 9-3 edge in the opening set. ERAU narrowed that gap to 13-11, then won seven of eight rallies in the same set and moved in front 16-14 after trailing by two. PBA also created separation in the second set, but the Blue and Gold cut a seven-point deficit to 21-19 and later used four straight service points to get within 21-20. A similar response came in the fourth set, where the Eagles trailed by two before a four-point service run and a stretch of seven wins in eight rallies helped them take a 15-13 lead.
ERAU finished with 53 kills and hit .173, while PBA had 56 kills and hit .149 with 30 attack errors. The Eagles also held advantages in total blocks, 14-8, and digs, 73-70, while committing fewer service errors, 9-12.
Dakota Zieman supplied 24 kills, 27.0 points, 11 digs and six block assists, and
Kailey Hrbek added 11 total blocks, including three solo blocks.
Ashlyn Koerner had 44 assists and 13 digs as the Blue and Gold generated 48 assists on their 53 kills.
Embry-Riddle rallied into a 16-14 lead in the first set, but Palm Beach Atlantic answered late and took the set 25-18. The Eagles fell behind early to a 9-3 deficit before Hrbek,
Stella Weisbrod and Zieman supplied kills as ERAU worked back into the set. The main surge came after PBA led 13-8, as the Blue and Gold won eight of the next nine points with Koerner assisting kills by
Maddey Cruse, Zieman and
Lindsay Smith and Hrbek contributing on two blocks. The Sailfish tied the set at 16-16, moved ahead 21-17 and, after ERAU got within 21-18 on a service error, scored the final four points to close the set.
Palm Beach Atlantic built a 13-6 advantage, but ERAU answered with kills from Zieman, Hrbek, Smith and Weisbrod as Koerner helped run the attack. A late push nearly erased a deficit in the second set, with the Eagles using
Dakota Zieman's sideout kill at 21-16 and four straight service points on
Geiliany Del Valle Fuster's serve to pull within 21-20. Defensive plays also fueled the late push, including blocks by Koerner and Hrbek against Leah Burlison and by Hrbek and Zieman against Ava McIntyre. Palm Beach Atlantic stopped the run with a Burlison kill, and after Zieman brought Embry-Riddle back to 22-21, the home team scored the final three points to take the set 25-21.
Zieman opened the set with multiple kills, Hrbek added a kill, and Koerner served back-to-back aces as the Eagles built a 6-1 lead before stretching it to 9-2 on a Smith kill and a PBA attack error. Hrbek and Zieman repeatedly finished defensive points at the net, teaming on blocks at 14-8, 17-11, 23-17 and on the final point of the set. Palm Beach Atlantic cut the margin to 21-17, but Zieman answered with a kill, Hrbek and Zieman followed with another block, and Zieman added a late kill before their block closed the set.
The Blue and Gold answered an early Sailfish surge with a mid-set push, winning seven of eight rallies to turn an 11-7 deficit into a 14-12 lead. The Eagles had led 6-4 before PBA scored six straight points, including two service aces, but kills from
Haley Manjack and Zieman helped ERAU get back within reach. Del Valle Fuster then served four straight points, with Smith and Zieman supplying kills before Hrbek and Zieman combined on a block to move Embry-Riddle in front. After Palm Beach Atlantic pulled within 19-17, Manjack's kill and block assist alongside Koerner helped the Eagles create separation again. ERAU closed the set with three straight points, finishing a 25-18 win on a PBA ball-handling error.
ERAU never trailed in the fifth set, taking a 15-10 win behind five kills from Zieman and a closing block by Hrbek. Zieman put down the first two points, added another kill after a Del Valle Fuster service ace, and helped the Eagles build an 8-3 advantage. The Sailfish answered with points from Kaelynn Sims, Ava McIntyre and Nae Jordan to stay within range, but Embry-Riddle continued to side out with kills from Smith and Zieman. Smith's second kill made it 13-10, and ERAU finished the set on consecutive points, with Hrbek's block producing the final point.
Inside the Statistics
- Embry-Riddle is 2-1 this season in five-set matches.
- Zieman led the Eagles with 24 kills and 27.0 points, adding 11 digs and season-best six block assists.
- Zieman's 24 kills were a career high, surpassing her previous best of 22, and her 27.0 points set a career high, topping her previous mark of 24.
- Hrbek posted 11 total blocks, including three solo blocks, and added five kills. Hrbek scored a season-high 12 points.
- Koerner finished with 44 assists, 13 digs, four blocks and two service aces.
- Koerner has recorded at least two service aces in three consecutive matches and has reached 1,000 set assists for the season, with 1,011 in total.
- Ashley Lunt collected 17 digs and added one service ace.
- Lunt's 17 digs were above her season average of 6.73.
- Manjack has recorded a hitting percentage of at least .308 in two consecutive matches.
- As a team, ERAU's 14 blocks were a season high with 22 block assists and three solo efforts.
Up Next
ERAU returns home for Senior Night against Florida Tech on Friday, Nov. 13, at 7 p.m. ET inside the ICI Center.
