FORT MYERS, Fla. – After three-consecutive weekends on the road, the FGCU volleyball team will open play at Alico Arena this weekend with the four-team Hilton Garden Inn/Homewood Suites Airport Classic.
 
The Eagles will welcome Florida Atlantic, Alabama State and the University of Missouri-Kansas City for the two-day event on Friday, Sept. 19 and Saturday, Sept. 20.  FGCU will open tournament play on Friday with a 7 p.m. match against Alabama State.  The team will face the Roos of UMKC on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. and will conclude action against FAU on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
 
FULL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE

Friday, Sept. 19	3:30 p.m.	FAU v. UMKC
	7:00 p.m.	FGCU v. Alabama State
Saturday, Sept. 20	9:30 a.m.	FAU v. Alabama State
	12:30 p.m.	FGCU v. UMKC
	3:45 p.m.	UMKC v. Alabama State
	7:30 p.m.	FGCU v. FAU

 
FOLLOW LIVE
Fans can access a video stream of FGCU's games against Alabama State and UMKC free of charge via FGCUathletics.com, while live stats will be available for all six games via StatBroadcast.
 
THE GREEN AND BLUE
FGCU enters the weekend with a record of 4-5 on the season after going 2-1 last weekend at the UT-Arlington Maverick Invitational. 
 
After a strong offensive performance last weekend, the team currently maintains an attack percentage of .176 and has averaged 12.3 kills per set through nine matches. Defensively, the team has produced 50 total blocks on the year but has allowed 89.5 blocks from opponents.  FGCU has produced 14.8 digs per set.
 
Individually, the FGCU attack is led by four heavy hitters.  Senior Jessica Barnes (Winter Haven, Fla./Haines City High School) and junior Vanessa Benke (Toledo, Brazil/College of Central Florida) lead the team with 112 total kills on the year each, while senior Olivia Mesner (Boca Raton, Fla./Spanish River High School) paces the team with an attack percentage of  .322 with 102 kills.
 
Junior transfer Eleonora Kazarian (Tibilisi, Georgia/College of Central Florida) has also aided in the Green and Blue's all-around production through the first three weeks of action.  Kazarian has amassed 99 kills in 35 sets played and has added 18 blocks.
 
Gigi Meyer (Gainesville, Fla./Buchholz High School) has aided the offense with 394 assists this season for an average of 10.94 per set, a mark that ranks third among all Atlantic Sun setters. 
 
In addition to her offensive success, Benke also helps lead the team defensively, as she has totaled 97 digs on the season, second to only senior libero Whitney Masters (Muncie, Ind./Wapahani High School), who paces the team with 138 digs this year.
 
Kazarian and freshman Lauren Tutwiler (Louisville, Ky./Assumption High School) carry the team's blocking effort this season with 18 and 21 total blocks, respectively, while Mesner had added 17 to the team's total.
 
ALABAMA STATE
The Eagles will open the home portion of their season with a 7 p.m. matchup against Alabama State.  Led by third-year head coach Penny Lucas-White, ASU comes to Southwest Florida with a record of 4-9 this season.  The team has played 10 games at home and holds a 0-3 record award from the Hornet campus.
 
As a unit, the Hornets have maintained an attack percentage of .144 with 10.1 kills per set, while allowing opponents to convert an average of 23.8 of their attacks.
 
Defensively, the SWAC-based team averages 11.9 digs per set and has outblocked foes 73 to 64.5.
 
The Hornet offense is led by a pair of junior hitters.  Myla Marshall and Amber Bennett have produced 89 and 93 kills through 45 sets, with Marshall leading the team with a .251 attack percentage.  Senior Ellyn Jones has helped the offense with 239 assists this season for 5.31 per set and has led the squad with 13 service aces.
 
Junior Rachel Smith and sophomore Jamie Coleman have split the defensive efforts through the Hornet's 13 matches with 95 and 83 digs, respectively.
 
Marshall leads the team's blocking efforts with 37 on the season, with Bennett adding 23.
 
Friday's meeting will be the first ever between the Eagles the Hornets.
 
MISSOURI-KANSAS CITY
The Eagles will take on UMKC Saturday afternoon as the third game of the tournament.  The Roos enter the tournament at 7-3 on the season with all 10 games so far played on the road. UMKC is riding a three-game win streak with their last loss at no. 24 Kansas on Sept. 9 and has produced the best start in program history with the direction of fourth-year head coach Christi Posey.
 
The team has averaged 13.7 kills per set with a .202 attack percentage through 10 matches and currently leads the nation with 12.7 assists per set and 18.7 digs per set.  The defensive output is aided by 106 total blocks, compared to their opponent's 91.
 
Juniors Jessica Hendin and Sydney Crimmins lead the team with 123 and 100 kills, respectively but have maintained individual attack percentages at under .200. Hendin leads the team with 17 service aces and was named last week's WAC Player of the Week after leading the team to three wins at the Bradley Tournament.
 
Sophomore Kaylyn Brandt has facilitated the offense with 257 assists, while Nicole Wemhoff has added 190 to help total 519 in the Roos' favor.
 
Defensively, junior Taryn Miller has produced 249 digs on the year, while Emma Hagedorn paces the squad with 49 total blocks.
 
Saturday will be the teams' second meeting as the Roos defeated FGCU 3-0 in 2012 at the Wyoming Tournament.
 
FLORIDA ATLANTIC
Led by former FGCU assistant coach Fernanda Nelson, the Owls of FAU travel the short distance to Fort Myers with a mark of 8-3 on the season.  FAU is riding a three-game win streak, which includes a mid-week victory over rival FIU on Wednesday.  The Owls are 5-0 in three-set matches, 0-3 in five-set matches and 4-0 on the road.
 
As a squad, the Owls maintain an attack percentage of .237, while holding the opposition to .152 and have produced 13.0 kills per stanza.  The team has recorded 15.0 digs and 1.5 blocks per set on defense.
 
Junior Brittney Brown leads the Owls with an attack percentage of .323 and 114 kills on the year.  She also adds 22 blocks for the Owls.  Sophomore Kristin Rankovic has produced 108 kills and leads the team with 16 service aces, while sophomore Genesis Viera aids the Owl attack with 9.54 assists per set.
 
Defensively, the Owls are led by 4.0 digs per set by sophomore Nathalie Rosado with help from 3.26 digs per set by senior Liene Mellupe.  In addition to Brown's 22 blocks, Kat Stepanovic has led the team with 24 on the season.
 
Saturday night's matchup will be the fifth meeting between the south Florida based teams.  FAU holds a 1-3 advantage in the series as the Owls defeated the Eagles three times between 2009 and 2010 but fell in a five-set battle at Alico Arena last year. In last season's meeting, Mesner paced all players with 25 kills, while Barnes added 19 kills and 13 digs.  Collectively, the team maintained an attack percentage of .258 compared to FAU's mark of .223.
 
UP NEXT
Following the weekend, the Eagles will begin a quest for the Atlantic Sun Conference championship.  The team opens conference play against Stetson on Saturday, Sept. 27 with a home match slated for 7 p.m.  FGCU will host North Florida and Jacksonville the following weekend before hitting the road again.