Oct. 10, 2006

MIAMI LAKES, Fla. - St. Thomas' home court advantage was not enough for them to beat conference leading Embry-Riddle 3-1 (30-28, 28-30, 17-30, 17-30) St. Thomas (3-11) Ashlee Guerrero had a team high 15 kills and Liz Harney had 33 assists in the defeat, despite having an energetic crowd cheering them on throughout the match.  

In game 1, St. Thomas was fueled by the energy from the crowd.  Janise Marron and Kayla Fraguela were scoring key points early.  With the game tied at 16, ERAU went on a 4-0 run.  Fraguela set up Nicole Hubbard to cut the lead to 26-24.  St. Thomas then went on a run of their own, tying the score at 26.  Ashlee Guerrero finished the game with a throw down kill, 30-28. 

The Eagles started game 2 strong, taking an 11-6 lead.  St. Thomas rally to tie the game at 13 and seized the momentum to take a 26-21 lead.  The Eagles tied the game at 26 to set up intense final points.  Both teams exchange points, but ERAU Savannah Trakes scored the winning point of the game, 30-28.

Game 3 was just as close as the prior two games.  ERAU held a 13-11 lead when they stormed to a 10-0 run.  The Lady Bobcats were unable to make a dent in the lead, losing the game 30-17.

In game 4, ERAU jumped to an early 4-0 lead and never looked back.  Their lead balloon to 13 and won by that margin 30-17.

The Eagles' freshman outside hitter Savnnah Trakes led both teams with 16 kills and sophomore setter Marissa Gonzales led both teams with 40 assists.

Coach Albert Sturgeon was pleased with the crowd presence.  "Having the crowd here definitely helped.  They were influential to else winning game1.  I give a lot credit to our girls on the court, but having the seventh man really helps."

St. Thomas will head to Jacksonville on October 13 to play FSC opponent Edward Waters, who they handily defeated in the first game of the season.