No. 4 Embry-Riddle (25-6) vs. No. 5 Lynn (19-11)
 
DATE: Thursday, Dec. 2, 2021
TIME: 6 p.m. EST (5 p.m. CST)
CITY: Pensacola, Fla.
SITE: UWF Field House
TOURNAMENT WEBSITE: GoArgos.com/NCAAVolleyball
LIVE VIDEO: GoArgos.com/live
LIVE STATS: GoArgos.com/coverage
TWITTER: @ERAUVolleyball
 
THE MATCH-UP
Thursday's regional match will be the third meeting between the Embry-Riddle and Lynn volleyball teams this season. The Eagles won both regular season contests, beating the Fighting Knights 3-0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-20) at home on Sept. 24 and picking up a 3-1 victory (25-20, 19-25, 32-30, 26-24) in Boca Raton on Oct. 29.
 
QUICK HITS
• Embry-Riddle finished third in the Sunshine State Conference regular season standings, the highest SSC finish in program history, earning an at-large bid to the 64-team national tournament field for the second time in the program's fourth season as a full member of NCAA II.
• Embry-Riddle is the No. 4 seed in the South Region and is the fourth team listed among those receiving votes outside of the top 25 in the latest AVCA Coaches Top 25 Poll.
• Lynn is making its seventh NCAA II Tournament appearance. The Fightning Knights were the No. 1 seed and South Region host in 2019, where they fell to fifth-seeded Saint Leo in the second round.
 
ABOUT EMBRY-RIDDLE
The Eagles outperformed the predictions made by the SSC Coaches, who picked ERAU to finish seventh. The Blue and Gold went 15-5 in conference play this season, finishing third in the league. Embry-Riddle went 8-2 at home, 8-3 on the road, and 9-1 in neutral-site matches this season. Of the Eagles' five conference losses, none were 3-0 sweeps; ERAU dropped three SSC matches in four sets and a pair of conference contests in five sets.
 
The Eagles bring a 25-6 overall record into Thursday's match. The strength of the team has been its defense - the Blue and Gold rank fourth in the nation in blocks/set (2.71) and total blocks (303) and 14th in opponents' hitting percentage (.126). Embry-Riddle led the conference in all three of those categories, as well as total service aces (220).

Sam Lanning, a second team All-SSC selection, has been one of the top blocker in NCAA II this season, ranking second in blocks/set (1.50) and total blocks (163). She needs just six blocks to tie April Ebanks' school record of 169 blocks set in 2006. Jaden McBride, the SSC Freshman of the Year and a first team All-SSC honoree, leads the conference in total kills (417) and kills/set (3.86), while fellow SSC All-Freshman Team member Cameron Gilleland is second in the league in total kills (386) and fourth in kills/set (3.57).
 
ABOUT LYNN
Adam Milewski's Lynn team is making its seventh NCAA II tournament appearance. The Fighting Knights, who received an at-large bid, are seeded fifth in the region and bring a 19-11 record into tournament play. Lynn is second in the conference in total blocks (250.5) and blocks/set (2.26) and is third in opponents' hitting percentage (.169).
 
All-SSC first team selection Nadia Lindner ranks third in the SSC in total kills (382) and fifth in kills/set (3.57). Lauren Odom, a third team All-SSC member, is second in the conference in total blocks (136) and blocks/set (1.23).
 
TOURNAMENT TIDBITS
Embry-Riddle and Lynn are two of the five schools representing the SSC in the South Region Tournament, along with No. 2 seed Tampa, No. 3 seed Nova Southeastern, and No. 2 seed Palm Beach Atlantic. The Gulf South Conference is represented by top seed and host West Florida, as well as No. 6 seed Alabama - Huntsville. The eighth seed, Spring Hill, is the champion of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
 
All four first-round matches will be held on Thursday, Dec. 2, with the semifinals taking place on Friday, Dec. 3. The South Region championship match is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST (6 p.m. CST) on Saturday, Dec. 4.