Glendale, Ariz. —
Madison Sherby,
Zuri Reeser and
Madison Van Wie combined for 49 kills as Arizona Christian defeated Embry-Riddle (AZ) 3-1 on Friday evening in the Firestorm Recreation Center.
Match Notes
- Trailing 5-4 in the opening set, the Firestorm (9-4, 4-2 GSAC) answered with a 5-0 run and never trailed again in the set
- Haley Kootstra teamed up with Addison Bowie and Reeser for two big blocks during the run
- ACU hit .333 in the opening set, taking the frame 25-21
- In the second set, the Firestorm moved ahead 13-12 before the Eagles (9-7, 2-4 GSAC) answered with a 6-0 run
- ACU battled back to tie the set at 19-19 and 20-20, but ERAU pulled ahead for good to even the match
- The third set featured another back-and-forth battle, with the teams tied at 15-15
- Sherby took over from there, having a hand in five of the next six ACU points with four kills and a block with Kootstra
- The Firestorm pulled away to take the set 25-16
- ACU carried the momentum into the fourth set, forcing two Eagle errors for the first two points and holding the lead throughout the frame before closing out the match 25-17
Sherby led all players with 20 kills, while Reeser added 18 kills and 15 digs. Van Wie finished with 11 kills, giving the Firestorm three players in double figures.
Becca Thomson and Bowie each recorded 24 assists, while
Kiah Lerma led ACU with 23 digs.
Kensie Seward added 10 digs and Kootstra finished with a team-high seven blocks.
Coach Shelton:
"I thought we played well. We have a young team and they are gonna make mistakes. We just have to live through it, but Zuri came on, Maddie (Sherby) did well and Madison came through in the end, which we knew was gonna happen. We stayed the course and got the victory. Tomorrow's another day."
Next Up
The Firestorm will host OUAZ on Saturday at 1:00 pm in the Firestorm Recreation Center.
