DeLAND, Fla. — With a second-place standing in Atlantic Sun Conference play, the FGCU volleyball team will travel to third-ranked Stetson University for a single match Saturday, Oct. 25. The Eagles and Hatters will face off at 3 p.m. at the Edmunds Center in the opening match of the second half of the conference season.
THE GREEN AND BLUE
FGCU travels to DeLand with a record of 13-8 overall and 6-1 in Atlantic Sun play. After falling to Lipscomb last Friday, the team most recently defeated Northern Kentucky 3-1 at Alico Arena.
Through 21 contests, the Eagles have maintained an attack percentage of .206 with a league-high 13.5 kills per set. The team also leads the conference with 12.84 assists per set and holds an average of 15.8 digs per stanza.
The Eagles' attack continues to be broad as three different members have recorded 250 or more kills thus far. Senior Olivia Mesner (Boca Raton, Spanish River High School) leads the squad with 274 kills on the season, while classmate Jessica Barnes (Winter Haven, Fla./Haines City High School) has added 258 in 83 sets. Junior Elenora Kazarian (Tibilisi, Georgia/College of Central Florida) is third on the team with 256 kills and a rate of 3.11 kills per set. The entire trio ranks among the top six hitters in the league in total kills, while the Eagles top the conference with 1,123 collective kills. Mesner currently leads the conference with an attack percentage of .388
Senior Gigi Meyer (Gainesville, Fla./Buchholz High School) has dished out 957 assists in 21 matches and possesses the conference's top mark of 11.53 assists per set.
Whitney Masters (Muncie, Ind./Wapahani High School) anchors the defense with 4.22 digs per set and 350 total on the year, while three others produce at least 2.0 digs per set. Kazarian and Mesner each have 50 blocks on the year for a team high.
LAST TIME OUT
After recording its first Atlantic Sun Conference loss of the season last Friday night and dropping a seven-match win streak, the team was back in form Saturday, Oct. 18 as the Eagles defeated Northern Kentucky University 3-1 at Alico Arena. The Eagles squeaked out a 26-24 victory in the first set before falling 25-21 in set two. After the break, FGCU defeated NKU 27-25, 25-17 to earn the victory. With the win, the Green and Blue improve to 13-8 on the season with a 6-1 mark in A-Sun action. The Norse fell to 3-4 in conference play at 14-6 overall.
The Eagles maintained an attack percentage of .221 through the four-set affair but allowed NKU to hit .245. Despite the disadvantage in the team's success rate, the Eagles outperformed the Norse 61 to 55 in kills, 75-72 in digs and six to four in total blocks.
SCOUTING THE HATTERS
Stetson enters the weekend with record of 14-7 on the season and a 5-2 mark in conference play. The team has fallen only to FGCU and Lipscomb in conference play and recently defeated Bethune-Cookman for the third time this season. Since their last meeting with the Eagles, the Hatters are 6-1.
With leadership from first-year head coach Kristina Hernandez, the Hatters returned all but two starters from a team that went 18-16 last season. With a record of 9-9, the Hatters took fourth place in the conference standings.
This season, Stetson has averaged 12.7 kills per set with an attack percentage of .183 as a whole. Defensively, the Hatters hold a reception percentage of .928 and lead the league by holding their opponents to an attack percentage of .180. The team has amassed 14.1 digs per set and 153 total blocks.
The Hatters are led by a duo of underclassmen with over 3.0 kills per set. Freshman McKenna Foster paces the team with 3.13 kills per stanza, while sophomore Madison Akins adds 3.15. Foster also leads the team with 27 service aces in 80 sets played.
Junior Kayla Weller has produced 835 assists on the year and ranks second on the team with 194 digs, with classmate Alexa Drost leading the digging effort with 288 this season. The defensive game is tethered by 145 total blocks from senior leader Erika White and freshman Shelby Connors.
The Eagles and Hatters have met 14 times since 2007, including three matches during the 2013 season and once already this year. Last year, the teams split the regular-season series before meeting in the first round of the Atlantic Sun Championship Tournament. This season, the Eagles defeated Stetson 3-0 at Alico Arena to open the Atlantic Sun Conference season. The Green and Blue saw 12 kills from Barnes, while Allen tallied 11 kills and 10 digs in her first collegiate start. As a unit, the team hit .177 with 45 kills, 49 digs and eight total blocks. In the second strife against the Hatters this season, the Eagles will look to begin a new win streak.
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. Stetson picked up 27 points and tied for sixth in the poll. After the first half of the season, the predictions have changed slightly. Lipscomb remains the conference favorite, while the Eagles sit in second place ahead of the Hatters and Jacksonville falls to fifth.
RPI
The Eagles currently hold the second-highest RPI rating in the Atlantic Sun Conference, behind only Lipscomb. Here is a breakdown of the Green and Blue's opponents and their positions in the latest RPI.
Ohio State 22
Lipscomb 40
Miami 42
UMKC 62
Seton Hall 71
UT Arlington 76
Auburn 79
FGCU 90
FAU 113
Northern Kentucky 126
Southern Illinois 138
Florida A&M 153
Stetson 172
Jacksonville 178
Houston Baptist 216
North Florida 222
Kennesaw State 247
USC Upstate 260
Texas Southern 268
Alabama State 278
Bethune Cookman 306
FOLLOW LIVE
Fans can view Friday night's contest live via GoHatters.com while live stats for will be available via StatBroadcast.
UP NEXT
After the single match this weekend, the Eagles will continue the road swing in Atlantic Sun competition with away tilts at Northern Kentucky and Lipscomb. FGCU will take on NKU on Friday, Oct. 31 at 6:30 p.m. and will travel to Nashville to face Lipscomb in a rematch from last weekend's loss Saturday at 2 p.m.
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.
FGCU Athletics sponsors events throughout the year to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.
