FORT MYERS, Fla. – With a 6-7 record on the season, the FGCU volleyball team will look to move above .500 as the team hosts North Florida and Jacksonville this weekend.  The Eagles will take on UNF Friday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. and will host Jacksonville University Saturday, Oct. 4 in a 6 p.m. contest at Alico Arena.
 
THE GREEN AND BLUE
FGCU enters the weekend with a record of 6-7 on the season after sweeping Stetson last weekend to start Atlantic Sun action at 1-0.
 
The Eagles have hit .179 this season and have produced 13.02 kills per set to rank second in the conference.  The team also ranks second in the league with 13.02 assists per set and ranks third with a mark of 15.29 digs per stanza.  FGCU leads its opponents in all three categories but falls behind foes at the net with a 117.5-79.5 blocking disadvantage.  The team has averaged 1.6 blocks per set but has allowed opponents to record 2.3 blocks per set.
 
Individually, the FGCU attack has been led by three heavy hitters this season.  Senior Jessica Barnes (Winter Haven, Fla./Haines City High School) leads the team with 163 total kills this year and an average of 3.20 per set, while senior Olivia Mesner (Boca Raton, Fla./Spanish River High School) adds 2.71 kills per set and holds a league-leading attack percentage of .320.  In addition to the senior leadership, Eleonora Kazarian (Tibilisi, Georgia/College of Central Florida) has added 2.82 kills per set in her first season with the Green and Blue, while also producing 28 total blocks.
 
In light of an injury by top-hitter Vanessa Benke (Toledo, Brazil/College of Central Florida), freshman Mackenzie Allen (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast High School) entered the lineup last weekend and produced strong performance with 11 kills and 10 digs.  Allen was named the A-Sun Freshman of the Week for her contributions.
 
With a list of options to attack, senior setter Gigi Meyer (Gainesville, Fla./Buchholz High School) has facilitated the offense this season.  Meyer has recorded 556 total assists on the year and leads the conference with an average of 10.90 assists per set.
 
Defensively, senior libero Whitney Masters (Muncie, Ind./Wapahani High School) paces the team with 4.04 digs per set and has totaled 206 on the season, while rookie Lauren Tutwiler (Louisville, Ky./Assumption High School) has led the blocking effort with 38 total blocks to begin her career. Mesner has added 33 blocks to the team's total of 79.5.
 
LAST TIME OUT
In the first Atlantic Sun Conference match of the 2014 season, the FGCU volleyball team defeated the Hatters of Stetson University 3-0 last Saturday night at Alico Arena.  The Eagles earned wins of 25-23, 25-19 and 30-28 to move to 1-0 in conference action.
 
As a unit, the Eagles hit .177 on the night, while holding the hatters to an attack percentage of .137.  FGCU outperformed the Hatters 45-38 in kills, 49-39 in digs and 44-35 in assists for an all-around performance.
 
Barnes paced the Eagle attack with 12 kills, while Allen added 11 kills and 10 digs for her first career double-double.  Allen recorded an attack percentage of .188 in her first career start.  Kazarian also added 11 kills and led the group's hit percentage at .233, while Meyer aided the strong offensive effort with 39 assists in the win.
 
Defensively, Masters led the team with 12 digs, with the team's blocking effort led by Mesner's four block assists.
 
SCOUTING UNF
UNF will travel south to Fort Myers with a record of 5-10 on the season and 0-1 in conference play.  The Ospreys fell to Jacksonville 3-0 last weekend to open A-Sun action after going 5-9 during the nonconference season.  Under third-year head coach Steve Loweswick, the team is 0-3 in road games this season.
 
As a unit, UNF leads the conference with 96 total service aces and ranks third in the league with 1.89 blocks per set, but ranks below FGCU in all other statistical categories.  The Ospreys have hit .162 this season with 11.9 kills and 11.2 assists per set.  Defensively, the team has combined for 14.9 digs per set and 102 total blocks.
 
The UNF offense is led by freshman hitter Courtney Miller's 3.12 kills per set, while junior Tessa Alyman adds 2.62 to the team's 11.93 total.
 
Sophomore setter and 2013 All-Conference Team member Abby Fesl has aided the offense with 5.48 assists per set in 46 sets this season, while freshman Carinne Turner has led the setting with 6.58 assists per set and 283 on the season.
 
Defensively, senior Cari Whitmire averages 4.38 digs per set, with Miller contributing another 2.40.  Senior Cameron McGuire has paced the team with 52 total blocks this season.
 
Friday will mark the 20th meeting between the teams, as the series dates back to 2004, when both teams were competing at the Division II level.  In 19 previous contests, the Eagles hold a 14-4 lead.  Last season, the Eagles and Ospreys split a pair of matches, with each team earning a win at home.
 
SCOUTING JACKSONVILLE
The Dolphins of Jacksonville University hit the road this weekend with a record of 9-6 on the year and 1-0 in conference play.  The team defeated UNF last weekend and will face Stetson before the bout with FGCU.
 
The 2013 Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament Champions are led by first-year head coach Julie Darty.  Darty's squad previously defeated both Bethune-Cookman and FAU and is 1-1 on the road this year.
 
Collectively, the Dolphins have produced 12.71 kills per set with a league-leading .219 attack percentage. The team has recorded 11.71 assists and 15.12 digs per set, while tallying 76 total blocks.
 
Junior Sammie Strausbaugh leads the Dolphins and the league with 4.98 kills per set and tanks among the nation's top-20 with 254 total kills.  Strausbaugh also leads the team with 3.53 digs per set and has produced 26 service aces in 51 sets played.
 
In addition to Strausbaugh's prowess, the team has seen 3.43 kills per set from junior Emily Laskelle, while freshman defensive specialist Nicole Pritchard adds 2.70 digs per set.  Junior Jizzian Gesualdo has facilitated the Dolphin's success with 10.04 assists per set.
 
The Eagles and Dolphins have met 16 times in the program's history with the Green and Blue holding a 9-7 advantage.  Last season, the Eagles fell to Jacksonville three times as the Dolphins went 16-2 in conference play.
 
PRESEASON PREDICTIONS
After tying Stetson at fourth in the standings last season, the Eagles were selected to finish third among the league's teams in this year's preseason coaches' poll. The Eagles received 45 points in the poll to sit behind only Lipscomb and Jacksonville.  Jacksonville ranked second in the poll with two first-place votes, while UNF was selected by the league's head coaches to finish fifth.
 
FOLLOW LIVE
Fans can access a video stream of FGCU's match against UNF free of charge via FGCUathletics.com, while live stats will be available via StatBroadcast for both contests.
 
UP NEXT
After the weekend, the Eagles will break from Atlantic Sun action to take on Bethune-Cookman in a midweek bout.  The Eagles will travel to Daytona Beach to face the Wildcats in a 7 p.m. match Tuesday, Oct. 7 before continuing Atlantic Sun play next weekend on the road.
 
GAME DAY
Fans are encouraged to download the brand-new Wings Up mobile app in conjunction with SuperFanU prior to arriving at the weekend's matches. The fully-customized, loyalty-rewards platform allows fans to check in at each of FGCU's sporting events to earn points throughout the school year toward exclusive prizes not offered anywhere else.
 
The FGCU volleyball team will welcome back campers from the summer of 2014 at Friday's match.  All campers in their FGCU Camp t-shirt will receive free admission.
 
Saturday's match will be the Eagle's Dig Pink event for the 2014 season.  Fans are encouraged to wear pink as the Eagles support the Side-Out Foundation.  Donations to the Side-Out Foundation will be accepted and FGCU Supports the Cure t-shirts will be on sale for $10. There will also be raffle tickets available for $1.  Raffle winners will take home gift certificates to local businesses, with all proceeds going toward the Side-Out Foundation.
 
Single-game tickets for FGCU volleyball are available at a cost of $6 for adults and $3 for groups of ten or more. Season tickets are also available. For more ticket information and additional deals, visit FGCUathletics.com/tickets, call or visit the ticket office at 239-590-7145.
 
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.