GAMEDAY CENTRALEmbry-Riddle (19-9, 13-1) vs. Warner (10-13, 8-6)
DATE: Friday, Nov. 14, 2014
CITY: Miami Gardens, Fla.
VENUE: Fernandez Family Center
START TIME: 4 p.m.
LIVE STATS: ERAU Stretch Internet PortalLIVE VIDEO: St. Thomas LivestreamABOUT EMBRY-RIDDLEThe Blue and Gold finished the regular season 19-9 and 13-1 in conference play. Embry-Riddle is the number two seed in The Sun Conference tournament because St. Thomas won the third tiebreaker (points head-to-head) to receive the top seed.
The Eagles will be looking for their fifth consecutive Sun Conference Tournament title with wins on Friday and Saturday. ERAU is the first team listed outside the Top 25 in the Tachikara-NAIA Coaches' Poll with 112 points. Head Coach Josylnn Gallop is the winningest coach in program history, owning a 242-93 career record in this, her 10th season at the helm of the Eagles.
ABOUT WARNERWarner went 9-13 in the regular season and finished third in the conference with an 8-6 mark. The Royals defeated sixth-seeded Northwood on Tuesday night in the quarterfinals of The Sun Conference Tournament, 3-1 (25-22, 22-25, 25-16, 25-19).
Marisa Moralobo (242 kills) and Adrienne Czaplewski (231) lead the Royal offense, while Tiffani Pate leads the team with 59 blocks. Rachel Stanton has tallied 561 assists and Heather Lockwood has picked up a team-best 292 digs.
LOOKING AHEADThe winner of the Embry-Riddle-Warner match will take on the winner of the second semifinal between St. Thomas and Webber International in The Sun Conference Championship match on Saturday, Nov. 15 at 2 p.m.
BLUE AND GOLD AMONG THE NATION'S BESTThe Eagles have shown this season that they are among the best in the NAIA in kills, assists, blocks and hitting percentage. Embry-Riddle is currently averaging 12.86 kills/set, the 31st-best average in the country, while also hitting .220 as a team, 25th in the nation. With 11.86 assists/set, ERAU ranks 27th in the NAIA. ERAU has been a force at the net, averaging 2.21 blocks/set, ranking 23rd in the nation.
GRAY DOMINANT DEFENSIVELYSenior 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 6.08 digs/set, the fifth-highest average in the nation. On Aug. 30, the DeLand, Florida native racked up 46 digs, which is currently tied for the eighth-highest single-match total in the NAIA this year.
FERREIRA DOING IT ALLJunior 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 1,075 assists for an average of 10.34 assists/set, which ranks her 17th in the nation in that category. Ferreira totaled a career-high 60 assists against St. Thomas on Sept. 12, which is currently tied for the 10th-highest single-match total in the nation this season. In addition to setting, she has also collected a team-leading 63 service aces, ranking fourth in the NAIA with an average of 0.61 service aces/set. The junior has also been solid defensively, picking up 283 digs, second-best on the team. Ferreira has also proven to be an offensive threat herself, putting down 109 kills, the sixth-highest total on the team. The Barbacena, Brazil native also has 44 blocks on the season, ranking fifth on the Eagle squad.
BEATTY COMING UP BIGSenior outside hitter
Jennifer Beatty has maintained a presence on the national leaderboard, and currently ranks just outside the top 50 in the NAIA with 3.31 kills/set. Beatty leads the team with 339 kills, including a 28-kill effort against St. Thomas on Sept. 12, which is currently tied for the 10th-highest single-match total in the nation this season.
MILESTONE ACHIEVEMENTSenior libero
Hannah Gray entered the 2014 season on the hunt for a career milestone and a program record during the 2014 season. Gray surpassed Senia McIntyre's program record of 1,784 career digs in ERAU's victory over Southeastern on Oct. 10. Her 12th dig of that match, which came late in the second set, was her 1,785th of her career. Gray has led the team in digs in each of her two years at Embry-Riddle, including last year's single-season school-record 809 digs. She is also the first player in program history to surpass the 2,000-dig plateau, which she did on Nov. 6 against Northwood. Her career digs total currently stands at 2,027.
PRESEASON FAVORITESThe Sun Conference coaches selected the Eagles to top the league's preseason poll, released in August. Embry-Riddle garnered seven first-place votes and 49 total points to claim the No. 1 spot in the poll, while St. Thomas came in second with one first-place votes and 41 total points.
20 SEASONS OF EAGLE VOLLEYBALLThe 2014 season marks the 20th edition of Eagle volleyball. Embry-Riddle is 446-247 all-time, capturing six regular season titles, five conference tournament titles and making four appearances at the NAIA National Championship.
