FULLERTON, Calif. – Today marked the first day of the season for Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Ariz.) volleyball who took down two ranked opponents in (15) The Master's University and (23) Westmont College winning the former in five sets and four in the ladder.

ERAU (2-0) dominated the first set after a very closely contested start. The Eagles picked up where they left off 2018 by dominating their attacks, hitting .355 and snagging 11 assists. Audrey Baldwin (SR/Santa Barbara, Calif.) like clockwork contributed 10 of the teams total assists in the set. The Eagles all around play was great, they ended the game with 22 digs.

TMU (0-1) came out swinging early in the second jumping to an early lead before the Eagles came screaming back to get it to 16-14. TMU would start to separate thanks in part to the Mustangs .306 hitting percentage. ERAU would hang around at set point but the deficit had become too large and TMU took the second.

The third set would prove to be the most competitive of the match as each team battled through adversity to stay in the game. ERAU struggled mightily in their attack as they only hit .056 in the set while TMU managed a .128 hitting percentage. Caylee Robalin (JR/El Paso, Texas) managed to keep the Eagles in it by killing four of her 24 total kills in the set but it was not enough to win the set.

In a do or die set, the Eagles got back to form and demonstrated a lot of heart to stay in the match. ERAU jumped to an early lead but had a hard time separating as the Mustangs started to piece together their attack. The Eagles would pour it on late, scoring six of the last nine points to force a fifth set and attacking at a .406 clip. Robalin was a big factor again as she ended the set with seven more kills.

The fifth and final set saw the Eagles bounce out to a 4-0 lead riding their momentum from the fourth. Both teams would battle it out but ERAU kept inching closer to the finish line with every point, as TMU could not make up the deficit. ERAU would hold on and take their first match of the season.

ERAU would ride the wave of their first victory of the day into the first set against the Warriors (1-1). The first set proved a challenge as no team grabbed more than a two-point lead at any point. The Eagles would eventually go on a four-point run to close the first set out. ERAU hit at a cool .254 clip in the set-which helped power their way through.

The Warriors had a hard time containing the Eagles in the second as they hit a monstrous .314. WC did jumped ahead to an 18-11 lead but ERAU grabbed seven straight points to even it up. The Eagles did well to weather the storm and scored the final four points to win the second.

The third would belong to the Warriors as they found their groove. Once again the Eagles would keep it close until the Warriors started inching away in the middle of the set. The Warriors climbed to a four-point lead before shutting the door on the Eagles in the fourth.

In the fourth set the Eagles managed to keep it close until it was time to pounce. That moment came at 12-10 as the Eagles jumped out to a five-point lead. WC would mount a small comeback to tie it at 20 but the Eagles continued to find a way to score and close the match out.

Erin Clark (JR/Phoenix, Ariz.) had a huge second match scoring 26 points and coming up with 24 kills and 12 digs in the victory.

ERAU is back at it tomorrow morning at 10:00 am MST when they take on (RV) University of St. Francis and will play Montana Tech at 6:00 to close out the 2019 Summer Slam.