FORT MYERS, Fla. – FGCU volleyball returns to Alico Arena for the first time since Sept. 19 this weekend to continue Atlantic Sun play. The Green and Blue welcomes Kennesaw State and USC Upstate to Fort Myers for their first home conference matches. Action begins Friday (Oct. 9) against the Owls of Kennesaw State at 6 p.m. and concludes Saturday (Oct. 10) at 7 p.m. against USC Upstate. Saturday's match will be streamed live through FGCU All Access. 

THE GREEN AND BLUE

FGCU is coming off a 3-1 win over FIU in Miami, Tuesday (Oct. 6) and improved to 11-7 on the season. With a 2-1 mark in conference play, the Green and Blue find themselves in a four-way tie for second place, trailing Lipscomb by one game. The Eagles had nine players pick up kills in an effort to find an offensive rhythm. After the Eagles and Panthers split the first two sets, FGCU came out and had its best performance of the match, hitting .389 to take the third set. The Eagles then limited the Panthers to a negative hitting percentage for the second time in the match to close out the 3-1 win.

Amanda Carroll (Albuquerque, N.M./Sandia High School) recorded nine of her 15 kills in the third set and also recorded her eighth double-double of the season in the win. Eleonora Kazarian (Tibilisi, Georgia/College of Central Florida) and Lauren Tutwiler (Louisville, Ky./Assumption High School) fell just shy of double-digit kills on the evening.

Carroll's 3.42 kills per set puts her third in the conference, making her the only non-senior among the top five in the category. Meanwhile, Marlene Moeller (Lüdinghausen, Germany/Pascal Gymnasium) sits second in the conference with a .350 hitting percentage. Defensively, Kazarian and Elisa Anne Aldrich (Charleston, S.C./Wando High School) remain in the top three in blocks per set, with Aldrich leading the way.

KENNESAW STATE

The Owls will enter Friday's match with an identical 2-1 conference record along with a 10-4 mark overall. Two-time Freshman of the Week Sydni Shelton and Anaiah Boyer stand as the biggest threats offensively for the Owls. Shelton leads the team with 143 kills and chips in 22 blocks. Anaiah Boyer sits right behind the freshman with 142 kills and 26 blocks. Kristi Piedimonte is currently fourth in the conference in assists per set, totaling 473 through 29 sets.

The middle blockers Rachel Taylor and Liesl Engelbrecht have combined to record 65 blocks to lead the Owls net defense. Four players have surpassed 100 digs for Kennesaw State including Katarina Morton, who has posted 201 digs through 44 sets.

The Eagles are 10-3 all-time against the Owls including a pair of wins during the 2014 season. In the two matches last year, Kazarian recorded 27 kills to lead FGCU to a pair of victories. In the road contest, Mackenzie Allen (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast High School) chipped in 11 kills and 16 digs.

USC UPSTATE

USC Upstate is winless in A-Sun play through the first three matches, but have compiled a 12-7 record overall in 2015. The Spartans travel to face Stetson prior to Saturday's contest but when the match between FGCU and Upstate begins, it will feature two of the premier freshmen in the conference. Upstate's Madison Haake has earned two Freshman of the Week awards thanks to three triple-doubles in the first five matches of the season. Haake's resume includes 187 kills, 179 assists and 212 digs along with 26 aces and 29 blocks. Along with Haake, Upstate's offense includes Emily Koelling, the team's leader in kills with 195 on the year. In total, the Spartans have five hitters with 100 or more kills. As a team, Upstate leads the conference with 112 service aces.
Koelling also leads the team with 59 blocks, sitting just outside the top 10 in blocks per set.

The Eagles have never lost to the Spartans, compiling a 13-0 record against them since the two programs first met in 2007. In 2014, the Green and Ball won all six sets behind the efforts thanks to a .402 hitting percentage in Spartanburg and a pair of strong defensive performances. The Eagles held the Spartans to a .176 hitting percentage at home and .097 on the road.  

UP NEXT
The Eagles play the first of their final two non-conferences matches Tuesday, Oct. 13. At 7 p.m., FGCU plays host to Bethune-Cookman inside Alico Arena in the second contest of the year. FGCU defeated the Wildcats 3-1 in Daytona Beach on Sept. 15.
 
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 30-18 (.625) record, including a 13-4 (.764) 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.