GAMEDAY CENTRALEmbry-Riddle (21-9) at No. 23 Coastal Georgia (34-1)
DATE: Saturday, Nov. 22, 2014
CITY: Brunswick, Georgia
VENUE: Howard Coffin Gym
START TIME: 2 p.m.
LIVE STATS: ERAU Stretch Internet PortalLIVE VIDEO: Coastal Georgia iHigh PortalABOUT EMBRY-RIDDLEThe Blue and Gold bring a 21-9 overall record into the NAIA National Championship Opening Round, including wins in the last 11 matches. ERAU sailed through The Sun Conference Tournament last weekend, sweeping third-seeded Warner and top-seeded St. Thomas with ease, earning the program's fifth consecutive conference tournament title. The Eagles are appearing in the Opening Round for the third time in school history and the first on the road. ERAU defeated Union (Ky.) in 2010 and Mobile in 2013, both at home by scores of 3-0. Embry-Riddle is seeking its fifth straight trip to the NAIA National Championship, presented by J&L Enterprises in Sioux City, Iowa; the Blue and Gold received Opening Round byes in 2011 and 2012 in addition to its Opening Round victories in 2010 and 2013.
ABOUT COASTAL GEORGIACoastal Georgia comes into the Opening Round with a 34-1 mark and a No. 23 national ranking. The Mariners earned an automatic bid to the national championship as winners of the Southern States Athletic Conference tournament last weekend. CCGA is on a 17-match winning streak for the second time in 2014. The Mariners' first 17-match winning streak came to an end with a 3-2 loss to Embry-Riddle back on Oct. 1.
The Mariners lead the NAIA in kills/set (14.57), assists/set (13.60) and hitting percentage (.330) and are ranked in the top 12 in service aces/set (2.18, 5th) and blocks/set (2.37, 12th). Individually, Cayley Meiners leads the nation with 12.36 assists/set while Maddie Bounds (.425, 2nd) and Allie Shannon (.386, 4th) are each ranked in the top five in hitting percentage. Bounds is also 15th in the NAIA with 1.19 blocks/set. Jessica Fujimoto has been dangerous from the service line, averaging 0.56 aces/set to rank 8th in the country. Jennifer Johnson leads the team defensively with 552 digs.
LOOKING AHEADThe winner of Saturday's match will advance to the NAIA National Championship final site. The 12 Opening Round winners will join the top 11 schools from the final coaches' poll as well as Briar Cliff, the host school in Sioux City, Iowa. The 24 teams will be placed into six pools and will play round robin pool play Dec. 2-4, with the top two teams from each pool advancing to the single-elimination bracket starting Dec. 5. The championship match will take place at 8 p.m. on Dec. 6.
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 12.99 kills/set, the 26th-best average in the country, while also hitting .221 as a team, 23rd in the nation. With 11.99 assists/set, ERAU ranks 22nd in the NAIA. ERAU has been a force at the net, averaging 2.19 blocks/set, ranking 24th 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 6.29 digs/set, the third-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 1,145 assists for an average of 10.41 assists/set, which ranks her 15th 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 68 service aces, ranking fourth in the NAIA with an average of 0.62 service aces/set. The junior has also been solid defensively, picking up 311 digs, second-best on the team. Ferreira has also proven to be an offensive threat herself, putting down 119 kills, the sixth-highest total on the team. The Barbacena, Brazil native also has 47 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 3.23 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 11th-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 2,086.
20 SEASONS OF EAGLE VOLLEYBALLThe 2014 season marks the 20th edition of Eagle volleyball. Embry-Riddle is 448-247 all-time, capturing six regular season titles, five conference tournament titles and making four appearances at the NAIA National Championship.
