GAMEDAY CENTRAL
Embry-Riddle (17-9, 11-1) vs. Northwood (11-17, 5-7)
DATE: Thursday, Nov. 6, 2014
CITY: Daytona Beach, Fla.
VENUE: ICI Center
START TIME: 7 p.m.

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LIVE STATS/AUDIO/VIDEO: ERAU Stretch Internet Portal

ABOUT EMBRY-RIDDLE
The Blue and Gold are 17-9 on the season after sweeping Southeastern on Tuesday night to run its win streak to seven matches. Embry-Riddle currently sits in a tie for first place in The Sun Conference with an 11-1 mark and are receiving 96 votes in the Tachikara-NAIA Coaches' Poll, just outside the Top 25. The Eagles reached the NAIA National Tournament Final Site for the fourth consecutive season in 2013. Head Coach Josylnn Gallop is the winningest coach in program history, owning a 240-93 career record in this, her 10th season at the helm of the Eagles.

ERAU swept Southeastern on Tuesday night, 25-14, 25-21, 25-8. Evelina Abdurakhmanova led the Eagles with 16 kills while Tamires Ferreira racked up 31 assists and Hannah Gray picked up 16 digs.

ABOUT NORTHWOOD
Northwood is 11-17 and 5-7 in The Sun Conference coming into play on Thursday. NU has dropped eight of its last nine matches and three of its last four TSC contests.

The Seahawks are led by Nikki McKown's 229 kills while Sydney Fish leads the team with 47 blocks. Nicole Papineau leads the Seahawks with 665 assists and Ti'Ana Fox has collected a team-high 385 digs..

BLUE AND GOLD AMONG THE NATION'S BEST
The 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 12.70 kills/set, the 34th-best average in the country, while also hitting .214 as a team, 36th in the nation. With 11.70 assists/set, ERAU ranks 31st in the NAIA. ERAU has been a force at the net, averaging 2.22 blocks/set, ranking 24th in the nation.

GRAY DOMINANT DEFENSIVELY
Senior 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 6.14 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 ALL
Junior 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 1,001 assists for an average of 10.21 assists/set, which ranks her 21st 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 59 service aces, ranking fourth in the NAIA with an average of 0.59 service aces/set. The junior has also been solid defensively, picking up 271 digs, second-best on the team. Ferreira has also proven to be an offensive threat herself, putting down 101 kills, the sixth-highest total on the team. The Barbacena, Brazil native also has 40 blocks on the season, ranking fifth on the Eagle squad.

BEATTY COMING UP BIG
Senior outside hitter Jennifer Beatty has maintained a presence on the national leaderboard, and currently ranks 47th in the NAIA with 3.33 kills/set. Beatty leads the team with 319 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 ACHIEVEMENT
Senior 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. Her career total currently stands at 1,994 digs.

PRESEASON FAVORITES
The 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 VOLLEYBALL
The 2014 season marks the 20th edition of Eagle volleyball. Embry-Riddle is 444-247 all-time, capturing six regular season titles, five conference tournament titles and making four appearances at the NAIA National Championship.