FORT MYERS, Fla. – Coming off its first victory in A-Sun play, FGCU volleyball looks to keep its momentum going as the Eagles travel to NJIT and Lipscomb this weekend. Action begins in Newark, N.J. Friday, Oct. 2 when the Eagles take on A-Sun newcomers NJIT. Live stats as well as a pay-per-view video option are available on NJIT's website. The Eagles then travel to Nashville to face Lipscomb Sunday, Oct. 4 and make their second appearance on ESPN3 in as many weeks. Sunday's match is scheduled for 2 p.m.

THE GREEN AND BLUE

The Eagles started off A-Sun play with a 3-2 win over Stetson last weekend to move to 9-6 overall and 1-0 in A-Sun play. Behind a career-high eight blocks from the A-Sun's Defensive Player of the Week Lauren Tutwiler (Louisville, Ky./Assumption High School), FGCU overturned a 16-10 deficit, claiming the fourth set 25-21 and the 3-1 win.

Amanda Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia High School) posted a pair of double-doubles last weekend and now has six in the past seven matches. Carroll was assisted by Karissa Rhoades (Valrico, Fla./Bloomingdale Senior High School) and Eleonora Kazarian (Tibilisi, Georgia/College of Central Florida) in the two Eagle victories. In the first match of the weekend at Georgia Southern, the trio collected 56 kills, led by a career-high 19 from Rhoades. Maggie Rick (Alpharetta, Ga./Blessed Trinity Catholic High School) posted a conference-best 67 assists against GSU in the 3-2 win.

As of the September 27 NCAA rankings, Rick ranks 78th in assists per set and 57th in total assists. Meanwhile, Elisa Anne Aldrich (Charleston, S.C./Wando High School)'s 1.38 blocks per set places her 47th in the country. Carroll's 199 kills is good for 87th in the NCAA and her 226.0 points is 83rd.

NJIT

The Highlanders dropped a 3-0 decision to Lipscomb in their A-Sun debut. Newcomers to the Atlantic Sun in 2015, NJIT carries a 4-11 overall mark into Friday's match with FGCU while searching for its first conference win. The sister combination of Danica and Nina Vukotic lead the Highlanders in kills with 203 and 139, respectively. Emily Krachenfels has recorded 447 assists in 2015 to support the Highlander offense.

The Highlanders are third in the A-Sun with 15.37 digs per set. Adriana Nieto is one of five players with 100 or more digs. Through 15 contests, Nieto has recorded 208 digs and currently sits fifth in the A-Sun. Tess Albyn is the main figure along the net with 34 of the team's 77 blocks.

Friday will be the first meeting between the Eagles and Highlanders.

LIPSCOMB

Prior to Sunday's contest, Lipscomb welcomes Stetson to Nashville for its second A-Sun match. Currently, the Bisons hold an 8-7 mark overall and a 1-0 record following their straight-set win over NJIT Sept. 25. The 2014 regular season champions feature four hitters with 100 or more kills, including Jewell Dobson's team-leading 175 kills. Molly Spitznagle leads the A-Sun in hitting percentage, entering the weekend hitting .355, just ahead of Marlene Moeller (Lüdinghausen, Germany/Pascal Gymnasium). Kayla Ostrom is having a stellar junior season with 670 assists, good for eighth in the nation.

Brittany Thomas is the leader for the Bisons' floor defense. Thomas currently sits third in the A-Sun with 231 digs, and is joined by Brittany Estes, Lauren Andserson and Ostrom with triple-digit digs. Spitznagle also boasts a team-best 36 blocks in 2015.

The top-two teams in the A-Sun last season, FGCU finished two games off the pace set by Lipscomb. The Bisons finished 2014 13-1, including a pair of 3-1 wins over the Eagles. The Green and Blue are in search of their first win over Lipscomb since the 2012 season when they swept the season series with a pair of 3-0 wins. The Eagles trail the all-time series 4-12 since the two programs first met in 2007.

UP NEXT

The Eagles wrap up a stretch of five-straight road matches with a Tuesday, Oct. 6 contest against FIU before coming back to Alico Arena for A-Sun matches against Kennesaw State on Oct. 9 and USC Upstate on Oct. 10.

FOLLOW ALONG
 
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.
 
COACH BOTSFORD
 
Head coach Matt Botsford is in his second year at the helm of the FGCU volleyball program and his teams have combined for an overall 28-17 (.622) record, including an 12-3 (.800) mark in A-Sun play. In his inaugural season, the Eagles finished with a record of 19-11 with a second-place finish in the A-Sun. Botsford's team also had five players recognized as All-Conference honorees, to set a new program high. Prior to his time in Southwest Florida, Botsford held successful stints as an assistant at Notre Dame, Miami, IUPUI, 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.
 
SUPPORT THE CAUSE
 
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.