GAMEDAY CENTRALEmbry-Riddle (18-9, 12-1) vs. Ave Maria (4-19, 2-10)
DATE: Saturday, Nov. 8, 2014
CITY: Daytona Beach, Fla.
VENUE: ICI Center
START TIME: 2 p.m.
LIVE STATS/VIDEO: ERAU Stretch Internet PortalABOUT EMBRY-RIDDLEThe Blue and Gold are 18-9 on the season after sweeping Northwood on Thursday night to run its win streak to eight matches. Embry-Riddle is a half-game ahead of St. Thomas for first place in The Sun Conference with a 12-1 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 241-93 career record in this, her 10th season at the helm of the Eagles.
ERAU swept Northwood on Thursday night, 25-13, 25-17, 25-13.
Evelina Abdurakhmanova led the Eagles with 13 kills while
Tamires Ferreira racked up 39 assists and
Hannah Gray picked up 14 digs.
ABOUT AVE MARIAAve Maria is 4-19 overall and 2-10 in league play. AMU has lost nine of its last 10 matches coming into the weekend.
Lexy Smith (183 kills) and Hannah Wurster (178) lead the Gyrene offense, and Smith also leads the team with 67 blocks. Jessica Schein has tallied 537 assists and Mary Eckard has picked up a team-best 279 digs.
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 12.78 kills/set, the 32nd-best average in the country, while also hitting .217 as a team, 30th in the nation. With 11.80 assists/set, ERAU ranks 28th in the NAIA. ERAU has been a force at the net, averaging 2.21 blocks/set, ranking 25th 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 6.07 digs/set, the sixth-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 1,040 assists for an average of 10.30 assists/set, which ranks her 18th 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 0.58 service aces/set. The junior has also been solid defensively, picking up 278 digs, second-best on the team. Ferreira has also proven to be an offensive threat herself, putting down 104 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 BIGSenior outside hitter
Jennifer Beatty has maintained a presence on the national leaderboard, and currently ranks 49th in the NAIA with 3.31 kills/set. Beatty leads the team with 331 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 2,008.
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 445-247 all-time, capturing six regular season titles, five conference tournament titles and making four appearances at the NAIA National Championship.
