DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — In the 2026 season opener, Embry-Riddle (0-1) fell to No. 16-ranked Missouri Western (2-0) in a tough 3-1 loss on Friday night at the ICI Center.
Despite a strong start with a 25-22 first set victory, Embry-Riddle could not maintain momentum as Missouri Western captured the following sets 25-18, 26-24, and 25-15.
Embry-Riddle began with a strong performance in set one, going on a 4-0 run after a 1-1 start, highlighted by kills from
Haley Manjack and
Stella Weisbrod. Missouri Western fought back numerous times, leveling the score throughout the first set and giving the Eagles test early. The teams exchanged points in a tight contest, but the Eagles secured the set 25-22, thanks to consistent attacking from
Lindsay Smith and the closing kill from Manjack. ERAU opened with a .361 attacking percentage with 18 total kills and five errors in the opening set.
Missouri Western started set two strong with a quick 2-0 lead out of the gate and remained in control of the score for the remainder of the set. Errors plagued the Eagles in the second set while Missouri Western had just two mishaps with 11 kills for a .310 hitting percentage. The Griffons leveled the match at 1-1 with a 25-18 finish in the second set.
The third set was a closely contested battle, highlighted by multiple lead changes and scoring runs.
Dakota Zieman opened the scoring for Embry-Riddle with a kill assisted by
Ashlyn Koerner, contributing to a back-and-forth start. A sequence of strong plays from both sides saw Manjack deliver three kills during a critical stretch, keeping the set closely contested.
Fifi Harvey and
Kailey Hrbek combined for a block, securing a point and maintaining momentum for Embry-Riddle. Down the stretch, Missouri Western clinched the set 26-24 to edge out the Eagles despite ERAU recording 17 kills as a team.
In the fourth set, Embry-Riddle started strong with a Zieman kill to help put the Eagles up early. Missouri Western responded with a shift in momentum and swung the set in their favor, securing a 25-15 set for the match victory. ERAU's mishaps continued with 11 errors while Missouri Western recorded 13 kills for a .270 attacking percentage.
Inside The Stats
- Zieman led the team with 16 kills, contributing 17.0 points and adding five digs.
- Smith added 11 kills, totaling 11.0 points along with three digs.
- Harvey contributed eight kills and 10.5 points, while also recording three block assists and one solo block.
- Grace Datil and Koerner were both instrumental with Datil's 27 assists and Koerner's 22.
- Fonseca made a significant defensive contribution with team-leading 16 digs and also provided four assists.
Up Next
Looking ahead, Embry-Riddle will take on St. Edward's on Saturday at 2 p.m. and will follow with the finale against Edward Waters at 7 p.m. at the ICI Center.
