PEMBROKE, N.C. — Embry-Riddle volleyball traveled to Pembroke, North Carolina for the UNC Pembroke Invitational, capturing a pair of sweeps on Friday at the Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court.
The Eagles (3-2) opened with a 3-0 win over Middle Georgia State (0-5), hitting .370 with 46 kills before following up with a sweep against the hosts UNC Pembroke (2-4) which saw 43 kills and a .292 hitting percentage. ERAU have won three-consecutive wins with an opportunity for a 4-0 weekend with matches on Saturday against Virginia State and Barton.
MATCH 1: Embry-Riddle - 3, Middle Georgia State - 0
25-16, 25-16, 25-15
Embry-Riddle swept Middle Georgia 3-0, winning by set scores of 25-16, 25-16 and 25-15. The Eagles hit .370 with 46 kills while holding the Knights to .097 and 25 kills. The Eagles used an 8-0 run in the third set to move from 15-13 to 23-13 and close out the match. ERAU has recorded a hitting percentage of at least .370 in two consecutive games, exceeding their season average of .260.
After MGA scored the first three points, Embry-Riddle moved in front 6-4 behind kills from
Kailey Hrbek,
Lindsay Smith and
Haley Manjack, plus a
Taylor Fonseca service ace. The Eagles kept adding separation through
Ashlyn Koerner's distribution, with Manjack,
Fifi Harvey,
Dakota Zieman and Hrbek all finishing swings as ERAU built a 14-9 advantage. Koerner also teamed with Hrbek on a block during an
Ashley Lunt service turn that pushed the set to 12-7, and Lunt later added a service ace as the Eagles moved ahead 21-15. Hrbek and Zieman delivered late kills, giving Embry-Riddle a 25-16 opening-set win.
In the second set, Embry-Riddle opened the set with a service ace from Koerner while
Stella Weisbrod's service rotation helped the Eagles build a 6-1 lead before the Knights later moved in front 9-8. ERAU answered an 11-10 deficit by taking five of the next six points, moving ahead 15-12 behind kills from Zieman, Smith and Harvey. The Eagles continued to separate after regaining the lead, with Weisbrod serving through a four-point stretch that included two Harvey kills and a service ace for an 18-12 advantage, and Hrbek added a kill before an MGA bad set made it 20-13. A block by Weisbrod and Manjack and a Harvey ace pushed the set to 24-15, and Weisbrod closed the 25-16 set win with an assist from Fonseca.
In the third set, ERAU moved ahead 4-1 with kills from Hrbek, Smith and Harvey before MGA answered and later led 8-6. Zieman helped erase that deficit with four of the next six points to level the score and eventually pull away to a 12-8 advantage. After the Knights trimmed the margin to 15-13, Harvey started the next Embry-Riddle (FL) push with a kill, then added two more late kills, including the final point from Lunt, to close a 25-15 third-set win.
Inside the Stats
- Koerner has recorded at least 35 set assists in two consecutive games, a season high in both games with seven digs and one service ace to add.
- Zieman achieved a season-high hitting percentage of .385 and led with team-best 12 kills.
- Harvey recorded a season-high of 11 kills and achieved a season-high hitting percentage of .333 while adding eight digs.
- Weisbrod recorded a season-high of 10 digs to lead the team alongside Fonseca with 10.
- Hrbek notched seven kills with zero errors on 12 attempts to mark a .583 attacking percentage.
MATCH 2: Embry-Riddle - 3, UNC Pembroke - 0
25-18, 25-19, 25-17
Embry-Riddle defeated UNC Pembroke, taking the sets 25-18, 25-19, and 25-17 in Friday's nightcap. ERAU finished with a .292 hitting percentage, 43 kills, and a season-high 60 digs, while UNCP hit .109 with 33 kills.
After the Braves edged in front 7-6, Koerner's kill and Lunt's ace put the Eagles ahead, and kills by Hrbek and Zieman helped to lift ERAU to a 10-7 lead. UNCP cut the gap to 10-9 and later closed within 14-13, but Smith and Harvey kept Embry-Riddle in front before Manjack's kill made it 16-14. With Smith serving, kills by Harvey and Manjack and two UNCP attack errors stretched the ERAU lead to 20-14, and after the Braves moved within 20-16, Embry-Riddle reached set point on a Zieman kill before Hrbek closed the set 25-18.
ERAU scored the first three points of the second set, with Hrbek's block contributing to a UNCP attack error and Smith finishing a Fonseca set, but the Braves came back to tie it 4-4. The teams traded points through 7-7 before UNCP moved in front 9-7. The Eagles answered with a Braves service error, a Lunt ace, and kills from Zieman and Hrbek to go ahead 11-9. After UNCP tied the set at 13-13, Embry-Riddle built a 16-13 edge on a service error, an attack error, and a Harvey kill, then used another Braves error, and block assists from Manjack and Harvey to move to an 18-14 lead. The Eagles managed to stretch the lead to 21-16 before. Manjack's kill and a UNCP bad set pushed the margin to 23-17. After the Braves fought off set point, Zieman closed the 25-19 set with an assist from Koerner.
Weisbrod's early serve helped Embry-Riddle move from a 1-1 tie to a 4-1 lead, with Hrbek's kill, a Weisbrod ace, and Harvey's block contributing to the stretch. UNCP worked back within 9-7, but Harvey put down a sideout kill and then served four straight points as Zieman and Manjack added kills and Manjack teamed with Zieman on a block to push the lead to 14-7. Zieman kept Embry-Riddle in control with three more kills during the middle of the set, including two straight points that made it 20-12. After the Braves cut the margin to 22-17, Manjack and Harvey delivered consecutive kills, and Koerner and Manjack combined on the final block to close the set 25-17.
Inside the Stats
- Zieman earned a team-high 12 kills on .458 hitting, a season-high attacking percentage while posting 12 or more kills in back-to-back matches.
- Harvey notched 10 kills and a career-high 13 digs.
- Koerner posted 32 assists and 10 digs.
- Manjack has maintained a hitting percentage of at least .364 over the last four games, posting six kills on .364 hitting.
Up Next
Embry-Riddle volleyball will face Virginia State and Barton on Saturday to close out the weekend Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court. The Eagles take on Virginia State at 11 a.m. and follow with Barton at 1 p.m. in Pembroke, N.C.
