ORLANDO, Fla. --- The Mississippi College volleyball team dropped both matches at the first day of the NCAA Division II South Region Crossover. MC (8-13) fell 3-1 against Embry-Riddle in the final match of the day after it dropped a 3-0 affair against Florida Tech.
 
After pressing ERAU in the first two sets, the Lady Choctaws moved to within a game by clinching the third set.
 
A back and forth affair in the third set, the two squads stood deadlocked at 20-all. MC gained a 22-21 advantage on a Jamila Biglow kill. The Lady Choctaws then rattled off three of the final five points to force the match to four sets. Madison Kimes added an ace and Ashton King supplied the final kill of the match.
 
A pair of Lady Choctaws recorded double-doubles in the match. Shelby Grace Mays led the Navy and Gold with 14 kills in the match and added a team-best 12 digs to record the first double-double of her career. Sydney Chandler joined her sophomore teammate with a double-double as she distributed 18 assists and collected 10 digs.
 
Bailee Berringer dished out a team-best 22 assists to help guide the MC offense while Kimes joined Chandler and Mays with double-figure digs as she collected 10. King and Biglow each collected five blocks in the match while Kayana Mitchell had four.
 
MC led midway through the first set, holding as much as a 16-12 advantage, but the Eagles tied the contest at 17-all and closed the set on an 8-3 run to clinch the match-opening set. The Lady Choctaws led early at 8-4 in the second set before Embry-Riddle forced a deadlock at 11-all and closed the match out on a 14-7 scoring run.
 
ERAU jumped out early in the final set, but MC rallied to tie the contest at 15-all, however, the Eagles closed the affair on a 10-3 run to clinch the set and match.
 
In the opening match of the day, Jenna Campbell led the Lady Choctaws with 11 kills while Chandler and Berringer each dished out 12 assists. Berringer also led the team with nine digs followed by Kimes with eight in the opener. Madison Girndt added to the defensive effort with a team-best, three blocks.
 
MC held an 11-8 lead through the first set, but FIT quickly tied the contest at 11-all. The two squads exchanged leads and ties over the next few points with the last tie coming at 15-all. The Panthers then went on a 7-0 run en route to a 25-18 win.
 
MC trailed early in the final two sets facing deficits of 17-12 in the second set and 20-8 in the match-clinching set. The Navy and Gold battled back in both, but couldn't overcome the early setbacks.
 
Mississippi College returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 15 as it faces Rollins College in the final day of the Crossover. Match time is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. central.