DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – For the fourth consecutive season, the Embry-Riddle volleyball team took home the title of The Sun Conference Tournament champion. The top-seeded Eagles defeated third-seeded St. Thomas in the championship by a score of three sets to none (25-21, 25-18, 25-20).
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The Blue and Gold, ranked 18th in the NAIA, improve to 21-9 on the year, while the Bobcats end the season with a 15-14 mark.
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Embry-Riddle got a strong performance from Emily Jacobson, who tallied a match-high 13 kills, four blocks (one solo) and a match-high three service aces. Jennifer Beatty and Taylor Ruiz each added 12 kills while Morgan Shattuck chipped in with nine kills and three blocks. Hannah Gray anchored the back row with a match-leading 27 digs and Tamires Ferreira ran the offense, tallying a match-high 44 assists.
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Nicole McInnis led the Bobcats with 12 kills to go along with 11 digs. Jordan Wiese picked up a team-best 12 digs and Dana Nowaczyk registered 29 assists.
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After STU took an early 3-0 lead in the first set, Embry-Riddle rallied back to take a 10-7 lead. The Bobcats responded with a 6-1 run to regain the advantage, 13-11, forcing ERAU Head Coach Joslynn Gallop to take a timeout. Out of the timeout, the Eagles went on a 9-2 run to jump ahead, 20-15. St. Thomas clawed back to within one point (21-20), but Embry-Riddle was too strong, scoring four of the final five points to take the set, 25-21.
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St. Thomas once again took a 3-0 lead in the second set, and just like the first frame, Embry-Riddle rebounded to take the lead, 13-9. A block from Jacobson and Caitlyn Ballard put the Eagles ahead, 17-13, and Beatty pounded down back-to-back kills to close the stanza, 25-18.
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ERAU didn't allow the Bobcats to lead at any point in the third set, running out to 12-7 lead early on. A kill from Jacobson made it 19-14 and the Blue and Gold withstood a late-set run by St. Thomas to win the set, 25-20, clinching the match and the championship for the Eagles.
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The Eagles have now punched their ticket to the 2013 NAIA Volleyball National Championship, which kicks off next Saturday (Nov. 23) with the Opening Round, held on-campus at 12 schools around the country. The final Coaches' Top 25 Poll will be announced on Sunday (Nov. 17) at 6 p.m., along with the 36 qualifiers for the National Championship. If the Eagles, currently ranked No. 18, move up in to one of the top 11 spots in the poll, they would receive a bye through the Opening Round and advance directly to the National Championship final site. If Embry-Riddle remains outside the top 11, the Blue and Gold will likely be selected to host an Opening Round match on Nov. 23. The Opening Round pairings will be announced on Monday (Nov. 18) at 1 p.m. via a live graphical show on www.naia.org. If the Eagles are selected to host an Opening Round match, it would be held at the ICI Center on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 2 p.m. |
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Stats Comparison |
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Kills |
33 |
49 |
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Errors |
20 |
20 |
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Total Attacks |
115 |
124 |
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Attack Pct. |
.113 |
.234 |
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Assists |
32 |
47 |
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Digs |
46 |
56 |
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Blocks |
7 |
7 |
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Service Aces |
2 |
4 |
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Stat Leaders |
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McInnis |
12 |
Kills |
13 |
Jacobson |
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Nowaczyk |
29 |
Assists |
44 |
Ferreira |
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Wiese |
12 |
Digs |
27 |
Gray |
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Grant |
4 |
Blocks |
4 |
Jacobson |
Wiese/
Huaroto-Luque |
0 |
Aces |
3 |
Jacobson |
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