DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Montevallo volleyball team opened its 2025 season Friday at the Bahama House Classic, falling in both matches on day one. The Falcons dropped their opener to host Embry-Riddle, 3-0, before closing the day with a 3-1 setback against Sioux Falls.
MATCH INFORMATION
Score: Montevallo 0 | (RV) Embry-Riddle 3 (24-26, 19-25, 17-25)
Records: Montevallo 0-1 | (RV) Embry-Riddle 1-0
Location: ICI Center | Daytona Beach, Fla.
The Falcons came out strong in the first set, pushing the Eagles to the brink before dropping a narrow 26-24 decision. Montevallo tallied 14 kills in the frame and held leads throughout, but Embry-Riddle strung together late points to steal the opener.
The Eagles jumped out to an early lead in the second set, scoring five of the first six points. Montevallo battled back with four of the next five to draw within one, but Embry-Riddle created separation at the midway point before securing a 25-19 set victory.
After the hosts built a 6-1 advantage in the early going of the third set, The Falcons responded with a 4-0 run to draw within two at 9-7. However, Embry-Riddle outscored UM 16-10 over the remainder of the set to close out the match.
Offensively,
Eliza Tyrrell paced the Falcons with eight kills, while
Danielle Greene was a force at the net with six kills on an efficient .400 hitting percentage to go along with a pair of service aces.
Nikol Antova and
Katie Wilkerson each chipped in five kills.
Defensively, libero
Ava Wind anchored the back row with a team-high 17 digs, while freshman
Lily Erdal posted a double-double effort in her Falcon debut, tallying 10 assists to go with 10 digs.
As a team, Montevallo finished with 29 kills and 42 digs in the contest.
MATCH NOTES
- Montevallo held a 4-3 advantage in blocks.
- Lily Erdal recorded a double-double in her Montevallo debut with 10 assists and 10 digs.
- Danielle Greene tallied a pair of service aces, the first in her Falcon career.
- Embry-Riddle outpaced UM 28-15 in kills over the final two sets.
MATCH INFORMATION
Score: Montevallo 1 | Sioux Falls 3 (13-25, 18-25, 27-25, 16-25)
Records: Montevallo 0-2 | Sioux Falls 2-0
Location: ICI Center | Daytona Beach, Fla.
In the second match of the day, Sioux Falls jumped out to an early advantage before Montevallo answered with a spurt to draw within two at 10-8. The Cougars responded with a strong run to take control and secure the opening set by a score of 25-13.
Both teams traded a pair of 3-0 runs to begin the set before the Falcons jumped out to a 12-8 lead. Sioux Falls tallied the match's next 10 points to take an 18-12 lead before going on to win the set, 25-18.
Looking to force a fourth set, Montevallo came out strong in the third behind a balanced attack. A block from
Kate Wilkin and
Ellise Hanson pushed the Falcons' lead to 9-6 early, and UM extended their lead to as many as five throughout the set. After USF tied things up at 22 late in the set, both teams traded points until the Falcons strung together three straight points to turn a 25-24 deficit into a 27-25 set victory.
Montevallo grabbed an early lead in the fourth set, but Sioux Falls answered with several runs of their own to take control during the midway point of the set. The Cougars earned seven of the match's last eight points to secure a 25-16 win and a 3-1 match victory.
MATCH NOTES
UP NEXT: Montevallo finishes play at the Bahama House Classic tomorrow with a 9:00 a.m. matchup against Flagler before taking on No. 6 MSU Denver at 3:45 p.m.
