DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Alyssa Hanley picked up her first win as head coach of Embry-Riddle volleyball on Saturday night, leading the Eagles to a sweep of Edward Waters in the finale of the Bahama House Classic. ERAU split the Saturday pair of games, falling earlier in the afternoon to St. Edward's.
MATCH 1: Embry-Riddle - 1, St. Edward's - 3
25-22, 21-25, 18-25, 23-25
Embry-Riddle (0-2) fell to St. Edward's (2-2) in a 3-1 decision in the first of a two-match slate at the ICI Center on Saturday. Despite a strong start with a 25-22 win in the first set, ERAU could not maintain the momentum, dropping the subsequent sets.
The Eagles opened play with a strong start against the Hilltoppers, hitting .211 with 14 kills to edge out the visitors with a 25-22 set victory. Despite a series of exchanges in points, Embry-Riddle maintained its edge throughout the set.
Despite opening the second set with a strong 3-0 run, St. Edward's wasted no time in equalizing in a set that would result in several lead changes. ERAU managed to level the game thanks to a service ace from
Dakota Zieman, but the Eagles faced a series of errors that allowed the Hilltoppers to regain control. Although
Stella Weisbrod and
Lindsay Smith managed crucial kills to keep the score close, the Hilltoppers ultimately secured the set with a 25-21 finish.
The Eagles faced a challenging third set as St. Edward's maintained a steady lead. ERAU produced just 11 kills with a match-high eight errors, slipping to a 25-18 defeat.
Embry-Riddle began the fourth set with a strong opening, capitalizing on kills from
Fifi Harvey,
Kailey Hrbek, Smith, and Zieman. The set saw several ties and lead changes as both teams battled for control. However, the Hilltoppers managed to edge ahead in the final moments, securing a 25-23 win in the fourth set. With this result, the Hilltoppers concluded the match with the 25-23 victory by hitting .267 versus the Eagles' .209 attacking percentage.
Inside The Stats
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Ashlyn Koerner orchestrated the offense with 31 assists and added a team second-best 11 digs in a strong defensive effort.
- Zieman led the scoring with 14 kills and also recorded 11 digs while
Haley Manjack followed with 10 kills and a .412 attacking percentage with four block assists to add to a balance performance.
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Taylor Fonseca contributed significantly on defense with 17 digs, helping to maintain control in key moments.
MATCH 2: Embry-Riddle - 3, Edward Waters - 0
25-7, 25-16, 25-10
In the weekend's finale, Coach Hanley secured her first win at the helm of the ERAU volleyball program with a dominant bounce-back win against Edward Waters on Saturday night. The Eagles dominated with set scores of 25-7, 25-16, and 25-10, showcasing a season-best hitting percentage of .446 for the evening.
Embry-Riddle opened the first set decisively against Edward Waters, taking an early lead with a 5-1 run. Manjack contributed with a key kill, assisted by Koerner, to push the score to 4-1. Harvey added momentum with successive kills, extending the lead to 11-3. Despite service errors, Zieman and Smith maintained offensive pressure, each securing points to widen the gap. The set concluded with a block by Hrbek, sealing a 25-7 victory for the Eagles.
The Eagles gained momentum early in the second set with Koerner's service ace initiating a strong performance. Smith and Harvey contributed critical kills, maintaining an early narrow lead despite some attack errors. Weisbrod's two consecutive service aces helped ERAU extend its advantage to 17-10. As the set progressed, Edward Waters struggled to close the gap, despite sporadic successes. Ultimately, Manjack and Koerner secured the set for Embry-Riddle 25-16 with a decisive block, giving them a commanding lead in the match.
Embry-Riddle dominated the third set against the Tigers, winning 25-10. The Eagles established control early, starting with a kill by
Ashtyn Good and maintained consistent pressure throughout. Zieman contributed with multiple kills, including a pivotal one from
Taylor Fonseca's assist to extend the lead to 9-5. A strong service run by Smith, including an ace, increased the margin to 22-9. The set concluded with back-to-back setting errors from Edward Waters, sealing the decisive victory for the Eagles.
Inside The Stats
- Manjack finished with seven kills on 12 attempts with a .583 hitting percentage, adding two block assists.
- Harvey totaled nine kills, 11 digs, and one service ace for 10.5 points for the night.
- Koerner produced 35 assists and notched six digs.
- Smith marked 10 kills on 15 attempts to close out the match with a .600 hitting percentage while adding eight digs and two aces.
- Zeiman leads the Eagles with 38 kills through three matches while Smith has totaled 30.
Up Next
The Eagles look ahead to next weekend as they face Middle Georgia State on Friday, Sept. 4, at 11 a.m. ET for the first of a four-match weekend at the UNC Pembroke Invitational.
