No. 3 Embry-Riddle (22-9) vs. No. 6 Nova Southeastern (19-10)
DATE: Thursday, Nov. 30, 2023
TIME: Noon
CITY: Tampa, Fla.
SITE: Bob Martinez Athletics Center
TOURNAMENT WEBSITE:
NCAA.com
LIVE VIDEO:
NCAA.com
LIVE STATS:
eraustats.com
TWITTER:
@ERAUVolleyball
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – After finishing the year at 22-9, No. 3-seeded Embry-Riddle volleyball team is set to take on Sunshine State Conference foe No. 6-seeded Nova Southeastern (19-10) in the first round of the NCAA II National Tournament on Thursday, Nov. 30.
This marks the third time the Eagles and Sharks have gone head-to-head this season and the 17th time overall the two have met. NSU took the year's first matchup in Fort Lauderdale on Sept. 23, 3-0 (25-13, 25-22, 25-21) before ERAU locked in the second meeting, 3-1 (25-11, 18-25, 25-20, 25-22), in the ICI Center on October 27.
About the Eagles
ERAU is among the 64-team field of the NCAA II National Tournament for the third time in program history after posting a 22-9 record, going 13-7 in conference play.
The outside hitter duo of junior
Jaden McBride and sophomore
Isabella Rujano pace the Eagles on the attack. The two earned All-SSC nods and were among the conference leaders in kills. McBride landed fifth in the conference with 396 kills (3.60 kills/set), while Rujano tallied 318 (2.86).
On the defensive side,
Kailey Hrbek (1.01 blocks/set) and
Dana Gibbons (0.91) finished inside the top-13 in the conference in blocks, while
Tamzen Wilson paced the Eagles with 3.85 digs per game.
About the Sharks
Nova Southeastern reaches the NCAA II Tournament for the third consecutive season and the second under coach Kacie Ehinger. The Sharks wrapped up the regular season with a 19-10 overall record, 12-8 in Sunshine State Conference play.
NSU finished among the SSC's top-5 teams in terms of points, hitting percentage, assists, kills and blocks, thanks in part to 2023 SSC Player of the Year Nadia Linder's 430 kills and 484.5 points. Senior setter Madison Cook eclipsed the 3,000-assist mark this season in support of Nova Southeastern's attack.
About the Tournament
Embry-Riddle and Nova Southeastern are two of the six Sunshine State Conference teams to make the South Region in the field of 64, which also includes host No. 1-seed Tampa (28-1, 19-1 SSC), No. 2 Lynn (24-7, 15-5 SSC), No. 4 Eckerd (22-8, 12-8 SSC) and No. 5 Florida Southern (20-9, 13-7 SSC).
The South Region tournament runs until Dec. 3 on the campus of the University of Tampa. The winner of the region advances to the quarterfinals in Moon Township, Pennsylvania, beginning Dec. 7.
The 2023 Embry-Riddle volleyball season is presented by Radiology Associates.
