JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – With two matches remaining in the 2014 regular season, the FGCU volleyball team will travel to the north east corner of the state for road tilts at the University of North Florida and Jacksonville University this weekend. The Eagles, who hold a firm grasp on second place in the Atlantic Sun standings, will face UNF Friday at 7 p.m. before taking on JU Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m.  The results of the weekend's matches will determine the final seeding for the 2014 Atlantic Sun Conference Championship hosted by FGCU next week.
 
THE GREEN AND BLUE
FGCU will begin the weekend with an overall record of 18-9 including a 10-2 mark in conference play. The Eagles lurk just one game behind Lipscomb (18-7, 11-1) and will look to reclaim the top spot heading into the Atlantic Sun Tournament. Although the Eagles solidified a first-round bye with two wins last weekend, the top position in the standings is up for grabs based on Lipscomb's results this weekend.
 
Through 27 contests, the Eagles have maintained an attack percentage of .213 with junior Eleonora Kazarian (Tibilisi, Georgia/ College Central Florida) and seniors Olivia Mesner (Boca Raton, Spanish River High School) and Jessica Barnes (Winter Haven, Fla./Haines City High School) leading the way offensively.
 
The trio has registered over 335 kills on the season and has led FGCU to a first-place conference ranking in kills per set. Kazarian leads the squad with 353 kills at a rate of 3.36 kills per stanza while Mesner trails closely behind with 347 kills. Barnes has added 338 kills, averaging 3.16 per set, while all three rank within the top five hitters in the Atlantic Sun.  Mesner currently leads the conference with an attack percentage of .366.
 
Senior Gigi Meyer (Gainesville, Fla./Buchholz High School) has dished out 1,249 assists in 27 matches and leads the conference with 11.64 assists per set. Meyer's mark also ranks 11th in the nation in per set average.
 
Fourth-year libero Whitney Masters (Muncie, Ind./ Wapahani High School) anchors the Eagles defense with 4.21 digs per set and 465 total on the year. Masters is currently ranked second in digs in the Atlantic Sun heading into the final weekend. Masters trails only North Florida's Cari Whitmire by a total of 75 digs for the top spot.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Eagles swept two matches last weekend to wrap up home conference play. The team took 3-0 wins from Kennesaw State and USC Upstate Friday and Saturday to move to 10-2 in conference play and secure a first-round bye in the Atlantic Sun Conference Championship before taking a 3-1 win over FIU Wednesday to end nonconference action.
 
SCOUTING THE OSPREY
North Florida approaches the match up with an overall record of 12-16 and 5-7 in conference play. The Ospreys battled first-ranked Lipscomb to a five sets in their most recent outing but ultimately fell 3-2. The Ospreys turned around and beat fourth-place Northern Kentucky, 3-1, the following day and currently stand in a three-way tie for fourth place. NKU, Jacksonville and North Florida all stand with records of 5-7 in conference play. Their postseason fate will be determined by this weekend's outcomes.
 
The Ospreys average 12.3 kills per set with an attack percentage of .187 as a whole. Defensively, UNF records 15.4 digs per set along with 2.1 blocks per set. In total, North Florida has posted 234.5 blocks total on the season.
 
Freshman Courtney Miller leads the Ospreys' attack with 318 kills on the year, averaging three per set. Next in line is junior Tessa Alyman with 248 kills and 2.61 kills per set.
 
Sophomore Abby Fesl leads the squad with 670 assists on the season and 6.3 per set. Defensively, the Osprey are led by senior Cari Whitmire and her conference-leading 540 digs.
 
Previously this year, the Eagles took down the Ospreys at Alico Arena, 3-2, in the first matchup of conference action. The Green and Blue saw 20-kill performances from Kazarian and Barnes, while Meyer set a new FGCU Division I single-match record with 68 assists. As a team, the Eagles held an attacking percentage of .222 with 73 kills, 97 digs and 73 assists.
 
SCOUTING THE DOLPHINS
Jacksonville enters this weekend with an overall record of 14-13 and holds a 5-7 mark in conference action. The Dolphins hold the fourth-place tie and will take on Stetson before the showdown with FGCU on Saturday.
 
This season, the Dolphins have averaged 12.11 kills per set with an attack rate of .199. In all, JU has accumulated 1,175 kills and has charted 193 blocks total blocks.
Junior Sammie Strausbaugh leads the Dolphins with 461 kills on the season at a rate of 4.75 kills per set. Those marks are good for the top spot in Atlantic Sun play. Strausbaugh also leads the conference in service aces with 0.37 per set. Junior Jizzian Gesaldo has guided the JU attack with 940 assists and ranks fifth in conference with 9.69 per set. On the defensive end, Strausbaugh anchors the team with 345 digs while junior Ana Nieto-Gomez leads the team with 78 total blocks.
 
Earlier in the year, FGCU defeated the Dolphins, 3-1, with an attack percentage of .136. Mesner led the Eagles with 20 kills. As a unit, the Eagles totaled for 51 kills, 47 assists, 72 digs and 12 blocks.
 
FOLLOW LIVE
Fans can view this weekend's matches live and free of charge on ASun.TV, while live stats for will be available via StatBroadcast.
 
UP NEXT
Following the weekend, the Green and Blue will then gear up for the Atlantic Sun Volleyball Championship, Nov. 20-22 at Alico Arena. The team's matchup and game time will be determined following this weekend.
 
RPI
FGCU has moved up 40 positions in the RPI in recent weeks and currently stands at a season-high 64.  The Eagles 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 25
Lipscomb 33
Miami 34
Seton Hall 63
FGCU 64
UT Arlington 74
UMKC 97
Auburn 110
Southern Illinois 118
Northern Kentucky 122
FAU 130
Stetson 171
Jacksonville 176
North Florida 194
Florida A&M 197
Houston Baptist 205
Kennesaw State 250
FIU 251
Texas Southern 260
USC Upstate 261
Alabama State 277
Bethune Cookman 306
 
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.