FORT MYERS, Fla. — While leading the league with five wins, the FGCU volleyball team will break from Atlantic Sun action to host Florida A&M Tuesday night at Alico Arena.  The Eagles will welcome the Rattlers for a 7 p.m. bout.
 
THE GREEN AND BLUE
FGCU enters Tuesday night with a record of 11-7 after defeating USC Upstate and Kennesaw State over the weekend. The team earned its sixth-straight win and fifth Atlantic Sun victory to remain atop the conference standings. The team's double-digit win total includes a previous win over Florida A&M as the Eagles defeated the Rattlers 3-2 in the season opener at the University of Miami Hurricane Invitational.
 
Through 18 matches, the Green and Blue have hit .198, which holds as the league's third-best mark.  The team leads the league with 13.4 kills per set and 12.69 assists per set and ranks third with 15.7 digs per stanza.
 
The week's Atlantic Sun Player of the Week, Olivia Mesner (Boca Raton, Spanish River High School) leads the team and the conference with an attack percentage of .380.  The senior has produced 225 kills for an average of 3.17 per set and ranks second on the team with 47 total blocks.  In addition to the team's top assailant, the Eagles boast two others with an average of over three kills per set.  Junior Elenora Kazarian (Tibilisi, Georgia/College of Central Florida) and senior Jessica Barnes (Winter Haven, Fla./Haines City High School) add 3.13 and 3.08 kills per set, respectively, while Gigi Meyer (Gainesville, Fla./Buchholz High School) has contributed to the offense with an average of 11.39 assists per set.
 
Defensively, Whitney Masters (Muncie, Ind./Wapahani High School) anchors the team with 4.15 digs per set and 295 total on the year while Meyer and freshman Mackenzie Allen (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast High School) have contributed 168 and 87 digs respectively.  Allen's total is in just 31 sets played as she entered the starting lineup seven matches ago and has since contributed greatly to the team's success.
 
Rookie Lauren Tutwiler's (Louisville, Ky./Assumption High School) 48 blocks are a team high, while Mesner and Kazarian have each added 47 to the team's total 109.5 on the year.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The team earned two road wins this weekend as the Eagles defeated USC Upstate and Kennesaw State in Atlantic Sun play to remain undefeated. 
 
Mesner's remarkable attack percentage of .824 in Friday's game at USC Upstate led the Eagles to a 3-0 win.  Mesner produced 14 kills with no errors to lead the team to an attack percentage of .402 in the sweep.
 
On Saturday, the team rallied from a 10-point deficit in set one to defeat Kennesaw State 3-1 in Kennesaw, Ga. Mesner added 18 kills for the Green and Blue with three others contributing double-figures.
 
SCOUTING FAMU
Florida A&M travels to Fort Myers with a record of 7-10 on the season.  After initially falling to the Eagles, the Rattlers lost their first 10 games.  Since Sept. 20, FAMU has won seven straight, including its first five MEAC contests. Despite the tough results, the opening 10 matches included four top-25 teams and has helped FAMU reach an RPI rating of 180.
 
Led by 17th year head coach Tony Trifonov, the Rattlers maintain an attack percentage of .180 with 11 kills per set and 9.8 assists per set.  Defensively, the team averages 12.5 digs per set and has totaled 105 blocks this season.
 
Freshman Pamela Soriano has led the team this season with 215 total kills.  She has amassed 4.13 kills per set, while junior Yeshia Arcia adds 3.28 kills per set. Freshman Valeria Lopez has facilitated the offense with 8.72 assists per set.
 
Defensively, junior Joanie Del Castillo leads the team with 235 total digs on the season, with Soriano second on the team with 127.  Deijia Martin and Ginna Lopez-Chavez pace the team with 45 total blocks each.
 
THE HISTORY
The Eagles are 3-0 all-time against the Rattlers, having won in each of the last two seasons and picking up a 3-2 win to begin the season.
 
The Eagles started the 2014 campaign against FAMU with a 25-23 win in set one, but dropped sets two and three before earning a 3-2 win. With the 'W' at Miami's James L. Knight Sports Complex, the Eagles began the season at 1-0. 
 
The Eagles saw a well-rounded attack that included four players with double-figure kills.  Barnes and Mesner each recorded 17 attacks, while junior transfer Vanessa Benke (Toledo, Brazil/College of Central Florida) also produced 17 kills in her debut for the Green and Blue.  Tutwiler added 12 kills, an attack percentage of .381 and two blocks in her first collegiate appearance.
 
Meyer facilitated the strong offensive effort with 59 assists and added a match-high five service aces.  Defensively, Masters led the Eagles with 26 digs on the evening, with Barnes and Benke both finishing with 15 digs for their first double-doubles of the season.  Mesner added to the defensive contributions with three total blocks through the five-set thriller.
 
As a unit, the Eagles hit .224, while holding FAMU to an attack percentage of .185.  FGCU recorded a match-best percentage of .389 in the fifth and final set and stifled the Rattlers to percentages of -.065 and .000 in the fourth and fifth sets, respectively. FGCU hitters combined for 69 total kills compared to the Rattlers' 45.
 
GAME DAY
Fans can access live video for Tuesday night's contest free of charge on ASun.TV. Live stats will be available via StatBroadcast at FGCUAthletics.com. Fans in attendance our encouraged to wear white.
 
UP NEXT
FGCU returns to A-Sun play on Friday night with a 6 p.m. showdown against Lipscomb who is the league's only other remaining undefeated team. On Saturday, FGCU welcomes Northern Kentucky for a 6 p.m. bout.
 
Friday's contest will feature $3 tickets as the FGCU community prepares for Dunk City After Dark. Fans who attend the volleyball game can guarantee seats for the event which begins at 9 p.m.
 
ATLANTIC SUN PLAY
In addition to the FGCU volleyball team's undefeated mark in conference play, the Green and Blue has seen widespread success in the Atlantic Sun Conference this fall. The men's and women's soccer programs also currently hold undefeated records thus far with marks of 3-0 and 5-0, respectively, giving the Eagle program an unblemished 13-0 conference record.
 
For up-to-the minute information and a behind-the-scenes look at the FGCU volleyball program, follow on Twitter at @FGCU_VB, on Facebook at /FGCUVolleyball and on Instagram at @FGCU_VB.
 
Head coach Matt Botsford is in his first year at the helm of the FGCU volleyball program. Prior to his time in Southwest Florida, Botsford held successful stints as an assistant at Notre Dame, Miami, IUIPI, Indianapolis and most recently Colorado State. Botsford is a former professional volleyball player and is a 1998 graduate of Tri-State University, where he earned a degree in Social Studies Education.  He earned a master's degree in Business Administration from the University of Indianapolis.