MESA, ARIZ. - The Embry-Riddle
volleyball team battled through a tightly contested road match on Saturday afternoon but ultimately fell to Benedictine Mesa (AZ) in GSAC
action at the PEC in Mesa, Arizona. The Eagles move to 8-5 overall and 1-2 in conference play.
After dropping the opening set 25-20, Embry-Riddle responded with an impressive 25-13 victory in the second frame, hitting .355. The Eagles carried that momentum into a thrilling third set that featured 10 ties and eight lead changes, but Benedictine Mesa narrowly escaped with a 28-26 win. The hosts then closed the match with a 25-16 fourth-set victory.
Offensively, Abbylynn Farrell led the Eagles with 18 kills while adding four digs and a block assist. Hannah Clear was highly efficient, recording nine kills on 14 attempts for a team-best .571 hitting percentage and contributing two block assists.
The Eagles received balanced production throughout the lineup, with Alexsandra Rodriguez finishing with seven kills and three block assists, while Destiny Matthews added six kills on a .600 hitting percentage. Haeden Baker also contributed six kills and three block assists.
Embry-Riddle's offense was directed by setters Annette Tapia and Alice Tuci, who combined for 43 assists. Tapia finished with 23 assists and two service aces, while Tuci chipped in 20 assists and five digs.
Defensively, libero Sydney Sniffen paced the Eagles with a match-high 20 digs. Anela Chew added 18 digs, helping Embry-Riddle finish with 75 team digs compared to 61 for Benedictine Mesa.
As a team, the Eagles totaled 55 kills, 52 assists, four service aces, and 75 digs. Despite holding advantages in kills and digs, Benedictine Mesa capitalized on a strong blocking effort with 18 total blocks and hit .371 in the decisive fourth set to secure the conference victory.
