LAKELAND, Fla. — The Florida Southern College volleyball team (12-15, 6-13 SSC) fell to Embry-Riddle (16-13, 9-10 SSC) in four sets, with scores of 25-19, 25-17, 21-25, and 25-21, at Jenkins Field House on Friday evening. FSC recorded 12 service aces, but it was not enough to overcome Embry-Riddle's defensive efforts, which included 16 total blocks.
The Mocs opened the first set with steady contributions from sophomore
Bali Coles and junior
Catherine Sweeney, who each recorded key kills to keep the score tight. Junior
Tori Borton sparked a scoring run with two consecutive service aces, allowing FSC to briefly take a lead at 6-5. Despite this momentum, Embry-Riddle responded with a strong sequence, highlighted by service aces from Ashlyn Koerner, to reclaim the advantage.
Senior
Morgan Word and freshman
Whitney Mall provided crucial kills to keep Florida Southern within reach, narrowing the deficit to 22-19. However, Embry-Riddle capitalized on a series of errors and continued their aggressive play to close the set. The set ended with FSC trailing 25-19.
In the second set, Embry-Riddle took control early, capitalizing on a series of attack errors by the Mocs to build momentum. Despite FSC's efforts, including multiple kills by Word and a service ace by freshman
Payton Nazzari, Embry-Riddle maintained their lead with effective blocking and timely kills, particularly from Dakota Zieman.
The Mocs struggled to close the gap, as Embry-Riddle's defense forced several errors. FSC managed a late rally with blocks from Sweeney and junior
Elizabeth McDonald, but Embry-Riddle sealed the set with a final kill, ending it 25-17 in favor of the visitors.
In the third set, Florida Southern quickly took a 2-0 lead with a kill from Mall and an attack error forced on Embry-Riddle's Zieman. Despite a brief Embry-Riddle surge that brought the score to 5-2 in their favor, Florida Southern responded with kills from Coles and McDonald, closing the gap and tying the score at 8-8 with contributions from Word and freshman
Chloe Moreland.
Florida Southern continued to build momentum, pulling ahead 14-10 following a service ace by Word and a kill from Sweeney. Despite Embry-Riddle cutting the lead to one, Florida Southern extended their advantage to 20-15 with a series of kills and another service ace from sophomore
Nako Sasaki.
The set concluded with Florida Southern maintaining pressure and closing out the set 25-21 on a kill by Sweeney, securing their position with a decisive finish.
The fourth set opened with McDonald securing an early kill for the Mocs, leveling the score at 2-2. Moreland and Word both contributed defensively, with Word achieving a block that resulted in a point. Despite these efforts, Embry-Riddle capitalized on several attack errors from the home team, allowing them to extend their lead to 9-5.
FSC responded with a service ace from Word and later from freshman
Drew Page, narrowing the gap. However, Embry-Riddle's Ruby Owen and Zieman made key offensive plays that maintained their momentum, pushing the score to 19-11.
In the final stretch, the Mocs mounted a late comeback attempt with consecutive service aces from freshman
Brielle Mullen, reducing the deficit to 24-21. However, Embry-Riddle secured the final point with a kill by Zieman, ending the set at 25-21 in favor of the visitors.
Word led the team with 18.5 points, recording 13 kills and totaling four blocks. Borton contributed 24 assists and added three service aces, while maintaining a perfect attack percentage on her single attempt. Sasaki excelled defensively, collecting 21 digs to support her team. Sweeney made an impact at the net with 10 kills and three total blocks, accumulating 12 points in the match.
Kailey Hrbek led Embry-Riddle with 11 total blocks over four sets, contributing significantly to the team's defensive efforts. Gabriela Pagan was instrumental in the back row, amassing 28 digs while also adding six assists and three aces to her performance. Zieman stood out with 17 kills and 11 digs, reaching a team-high 20 points. Isabella Rujano was also a key presence at the net, registering seven total blocks and seven digs. Koerner excelled in her setting role, delivering 15 assists with a perfect hitting percentage of 1.000 on her lone attack.
Looking ahead, the Mocs will face Florida Tech on Saturday, Nov. 22, at 4 p.m. at Jenkins Field House in Lakeland, Florida.
