GAMEDAY CENTRAL
No. 19 Embry-Riddle (17-9) vs. Northwood (8-22)
DATE: Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013
CITY: Daytona Beach, Fla.
SITE:Â ICI Center
MATCH TIME: 7Â p.m.
LIVE STATS: Stretch Internet
ABOUT EMBRY-RIDDLE
The Blue and Gold are ranked 19th in the eighth regular season coaches' poll, holding steady from last week's poll. The Eagles reached the NAIA National Tournament Final Site for the third consecutive season in 2012. Head Coach Josylnn Gallop is the winningest coach in program history, owning a 218-81 career record in this, her ninth season at the helm of the Eagles.
ABOUT NORTHWOOD
Northwood hails from West Palm Beach, Fla. and is also a fellow member of The Sun Conference. Chris Taylor is in his second season at the helm of the Northwood program and owns a 14-37 record with the Seahawks. In 2012, NU finished 6-15 overall and 2-9 in league action, finishing seventh in the regular season conference standings and narrowly missing the conference tournament.
The Seahawks average 9.4 kills, 8.7 assists, 14.6 digs and 1.4 blocks per set. Northwood ranks 49th in the NAIA in service aces per set (1.72), led by Sydney Fish's 55 aces, the 22nd-best individual total in the country. Fish leads the team with 59 blocks (12 solo) and also ranks second on the team with 224 kills, trailing only Nikki McKown's 227. Breanne Machacek (379 assists) and Nicole Papineau (373 assists) serve as the two setters in the Seahawk offense, while Danielle Lampman (390 digs) anchors the defense.
STREAKING IN THE POLLS
When the NAIA released the eighth coaches' poll of the 2013 regular season on Tuesday, the Eagles found themselves at No. 19 in the rankings, holding steady from the previous week. Embry-Riddle spent the entire 2011 season and all but one week in 2012 ranked in the top 10, a total of 25 weeks, including a trio of weeks at No. 2 (Sept. 20 - Oct. 4, 2011). In total, the Eagles have been ranked in the Top 25 for 47 consecutive polls, the fifth-longest active streak in the NAIA.
BLUE AND GOLD AMONG THE NATION'S BEST
The Eagles have shown in 2013 that they are among the best in the NAIA in four of the most important facets of the game: assists, kills, digs and hitting percentage. Embry-Riddle is currently averaging 12.07 assists/set, the 22nd-best average in the country. With 13.01 kills/set, ERAU ranks 26th in the NAIA. Ranking 38th in the nation, the Eagles have picked up 16.91 digs/set. Embry-Riddle is hitting .212 as a team, good for 48th in the country.
GRAY DOMINANT DEFENSIVELY
Junior libero
Hannah Gray has proven that she is one of the best defensive players in the country with her stellar play this season. Gray, last year's Sun Conference Libero of the Year, is currently averaging 6.37 digs/set, the third-highest average in the nation. Her 580 digs are also the 25th-highest total in the NAIA.
FERREIRA DOING IT ALL
Sophomore setter
Tamires Ferreira is out to prove that setters can do more than just rack up assists. She has done a great job circulating the ball while running the 5-1 offense for the Eagles, recording 883 assists for an average of 10.03 assists/set, which ranks her 26th in the nation in that category. But she has also collected a team-leading 46 service aces in addition to picking up 244 digs, second-best on the team. Ferreira has also proven to be an offensive threat herself, putting down 140 kills, including a match-high 16 kills at Flagler on Sept. 11. The Barbacena, Brazil native also has 46 blocks (three solo) on the season, ranking third on the Eagle squad.
MILESTONE CHASE
At least one Eagle is in the hunt for a career milestone and a program record during the 2013 season.
Emily Jacobson stands at 352 career blocks, nine behind Susan Delahanty's 361 program record number. Jacobson has averaged 88 blocks per season since stepping on ERAU's campus.
REPLACING THE BEST CLASS IN EAGLE HISTORY
Following the 2012 season, Gallop lost four seniors that were arguably the best class in program history.
Jordan Holcomb and
Taylor Martin (now volunteer assistant coaches for the Eagles) rank No. 3 and No. 4 respectively on the all-time kills list (1,000-Kill Club), while
Adriana Vazquez shattered the career assist mark (5,035) while collecting four straight Sun Conference Setter of the Year honors (1,000-Assist Club). Glorida Kemp also graduated after compiling 672 kills, a .276 attack percentage and 237 blocks in her four-year career.
PRESEASON FAVORITES
The Sun Conference coaches selected the Eagles to top the league's preseason poll, released in August. Embry-Riddle garnered six first-place votes and 48 total points to claim the No. 1 spot in the poll, while St. Thomas came in second with two first-place votes and 43 total points.
19 SEASONS OF EAGLE VOLLEYBALL
The 2013 season marks the 19th edition of Eagle volleyball. Embry-Riddle is 422-235 all-time, capturing five regular season titles, four conference tournament titles and making three appearances at the NAIA National Championship.
