WINTER PARK, Fla. — Embry-Riddle volleyball traveled to Winter Park, Fla. for the first road Sunshine State Conference matchup of the season, taking on Rollins and bouncing back to winning ways on Saturday.
The Eagles (8-3, 1-1 SSC) defeated the Tars (7-6, 0-2 SSC) 3-1 at Warden Arena, winning 25-22, 23-25, 27-25, 25-20. Embry-Riddle finished with a season-high 68 kills and a .284 hitting percentage, compared with 52 kills and a .194 mark for the Tars.
The Eagles established an early pattern of answering deficits with scoring stretches, taking the lead in the opening set after trailing 2-1 and later winning seven of eight rallies to move ahead 8-3, a run that included four straight service points. The Tars put ERAU in a six-point hole in set two, but the Eagles cut the margin to 24-22 before the set ended. The response carried into the next set, where the Blue and Gold turned a 12-12 tie into a 17-13 lead by winning five of six rallies, including another four-point service run. ERAU later converted set point at 27-25, then came back from an 11-9 deficit in set four to take a 14-12 lead.
The Eagles held off a late Tars push to take the first set 25-22, closing the set on a block by
Haley Manjack and Koerner. Earlier, after Rollins moved ahead 2-1, ERAU won seven of the next eight points to build an 8-3 lead, with
Ashley Lunt serving the final four points of that stretch and kills coming from Koerner, Zieman, and
Fifi Harvey.
Dakota Zieman continued to supply offense through the middle of the set and finished with five kills, while
Lindsay Smith added four, including a response after the Tars had closed within 20-19. Embry-Riddle later reached 24-21 on a block by Manjack and Harvey, and after Rollins scored once more, Manjack and Koerner combined for the set-ending block.
ERAU kept the set tight through a series of sideouts, getting kills from Zieman, Harvey, Smith, and
Kailey Hrbek to reach ties at 7-7, 8-8, and 9-9. Rollins created separation with service pressure and attacks, moving from a 13-12 edge to 22-16 despite answers from Harvey, Zieman, and Smith. The Eagles kept working back with Hrbek's kill at 22-17, a block by Harvey and Manjack at 24-20, and three straight Rollins attack errors that brought the set to 24-23, but the home side held on.
The Blue and Gold built early separation on kills from Smith, Harvey, and Manjack and a Manjack-Harvey block, moving ahead 10-6 before the Tars worked back. After Rollins went in front 13-12, Manjack tied it, and the Eagles scored the next four points during
Stella Weisbrod's service turn, using a Weisbrod kill, a team ace, a Tars bad set, and another Manjack kill to push the set to 17-13. Rollins later tied the set at 20-20 and repeatedly pulled even through 25-25, but ERAU kept responding with kills from Koerner, Harvey, Manjack, Zieman, and Smith before Hrbek closed the set.
In the fourth, the Blue and Gold overcame an 11-9 deficit by using two Zieman kills, a Harvey kill, and a Zieman service ace to move in front 13-11. The Tars tied the set at 14-14 and again at 17-17, but Embry-Riddle answered the second tie with four straight points, including a Manjack kill, a Koerner kill, and two blocks involving Koerner and Hrbek. Zieman added another kill for a 22-18 advantage, and Smith put the Eagles at set point with a kill to make it 24-20.
Taylor Fonseca finished the set with a service ace as ERAU took the set 25-20.
Inside the Statistics
- Zieman led Embry-Riddle with a season-high 20 kills and 21 points while hitting .409 and adding 12 digs.
- Koerner recorded a season-best 53 assists, 13 digs, six kills, and four blocks.
- Fonseca collected a team-high 19 digs and added four assists and a service ace.
- Manjack finished with 10 kills, hit .333, and posted a team-high five blocks.
- Embry-Riddle has maintained a streak of at least eight blocks for four consecutive games.
- The Eagles are 9-1 in the last 10 meetings against Rollins and 24-6 all-time.
Up Next
Embry-Riddle is set to visit Florida Southern on Friday, Sept. 25, at 7 p.m. at George W. Jenkins Field House in Lakeland, Fla.
