DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – For the fourth consecutive season, the Embry-Riddle volleyball team will be traveling to Sioux City, Iowa for the NAIA National Championship final site, presented by J&L Enterprises and CNOS Foundation. The Eagles, ranked 18th in the nation, swept Mobile in the Opening Round, 3-0 (25-23, 25-18, 25-18), on Saturday afternoon at the ICI Center.
With the win, Embry-Riddle improves to 22-9 while Mobile closes the season with a 24-14 mark.
The Blue and Gold had four players with double-figure kills, led by Emily Jacobson's 12 kills in just 17 attempts, good for a .647 hitting percentage. Taylor Ruiz registered a double-double with 11 kills and 10 digs while Jennifer Beatty and Morgan Shattuck chipped in 10 kills apiece. Hannah Gray picked up a match-high 21 digs and Tamires Ferreira tallied 13 digs and five kills to go along with a match-best 44 assists.
Bailey Nations led the Lady Rams with 10 kills while Katy McCollister tallied a team-leading 12 digs and Reagin Boggs recorded a team-best 31 assists.
The first set was a very competitive affair, with neither side able to establish a lead larger than three points at any time. The Eagles held an 8-5 advantage before Mobile rattled off five straight points to take a 10-8 lead. Embry-Riddle stemmed the tide with back-to-back points to tie things at 10, but the Blue and Gold couldn't regain the lead until late in the set. Trailing 23-21, Ruiz put down a kill that sparked a 4-0 run to close out the frame, giving Embry-Riddle the 25-23 come-from-behind win.
In set two, ERAU got off to a fast start and never looked back. The Eagles jumped out to an 11-3 lead and didn't allow the Lady Rams to get within five points for the rest of the stanza. A block from Ferreira and Jacobson capped a 6-1 run the pushed the margin to 10 points (22-12) and the Blue and Gold cruised to a 25-18 victory from that point.
The third set saw Mobile come out swinging and grab the momentum back from the Eagles, running out to a 7-3 lead early on. The Blue and Gold rebounded with a 9-3 run that put the Blue and Gold ahead, 15-13. A 6-0 spurt ballooned the lead to 22-15 and Shattuck closed out the match with her 10th kill, giving the Eagles a 25-18 win in the third set and a 3-0 sweep in the match.
The Eagles will now await the NAIA's announcement of the final site pool play bracket, which will be released on Sunday, Nov. 24 by 6 p.m. on the NAIA's official website, www.naia.org. The final site will be held at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa, beginning with pool play Dec. 3-5. The single-elimination bracket begins on Dec. 6 with the semifinals and championship scheduled for Dec. 7.
NeuLion, the NAIA's official video-streaming company of select NAIA national championship events, will be broadcasting all 47 matches of the 2013 Volleyball National Championship in Sioux City. For the first time ever, all pool play matches from Dec. 3-5, in addition to bracket play through the championship final Dec. 7 will be streamed live. Single-day packages can be purchased for $9.95, while an all-tournament pass is available for $24.95. For more information and to pre-register, click here.
For more information on the 2013 NAIA Volleyball National Championship final site, click here. |
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Stats Comparison |
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Kills |
34 |
52 |
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Errors |
16 |
15 |
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Total Attacks |
113 |
115 |
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Attack Pct. |
.159 |
.322 |
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Assists |
33 |
48 |
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Digs |
45 |
54 |
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Blocks |
1 |
3 |
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Service Aces |
5 |
1 |
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Stat Leaders |
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Nations |
10 |
Kills |
12 |
Jacobson |
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Boggs |
31 |
Assists |
44 |
Ferreira |
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McCollister |
12 |
Digs |
21 |
Gray |
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Ennis |
1 |
Blocks |
3 |
Jacobson |
Armstrong/
Lovelace |
2 |
Aces |
1 |
Gray |
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