FORT MYERS, Fla. – With seven returning letterwinners and seven newcomers, the FGCU volleyball team will make its 2015 season debut in front of a home crowd at the FGCU Hilton Garden Inn/Homewood Suites Classic this weekend. The four-team tournament will feature the Eagles as well as New Orleans, Fordham and Presbyterian. Following a 2:30 p.m. contest between Presbyterian and Fordham, FGCU opens the 2015 season against New Orleans at 6 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 28. The Green and Blue then face Fordham at 12:30 p.m. and Presbyterian at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 29.

Tickets are $7 for general admission and $5 for children and will also allow fans to watch the men's soccer game at 7 p.m. against No. 3 Georgetown. All fans in attendance on Friday are encouraged to wear green for a Greenout. Saturday's FGCU matches will be streamed live on A-Sun.tv.

Head coach Matt Botsford begins his second year, looking to build upon his team's 11-3 record in the A-Sun and 19-11 mark overall. Coach Botsford welcomes back First Team All-Conference member Eleonora Kazarian (Tibilisi, Georgia/College of Central Florida) as well as All-Freshman Team selection Mackenzie Allen (Naples, Fla./Gulf Coast High School). Kazarian was named preseason All-Conference.

PRESEASON RANKINGS

The Eagles were picked to finish second in the preseason poll, receiving 52 points and one first place vote, trailing only Lipscomb (63 points, seven first place votes). FGCU finished second in the A-Sun last season, finishing the year 11-3. The Blue and Green rattled off seven consecutive victories overall and five-straight conference wins during the year, putting them in contention for the regular season title. The 2014 season ended in the semifinals of the A-Sun Tournament, as the Eagles fell to eventual tournament champions Jacksonville 3-1.

Kazarian led the Eagles with 402 kills last season. She ranked third in the A-Sun with 3.44 kills per set and reached the 20 kills mark in five matches during the 2014 season. Allen finished fifth on the team with 134 kills, one behind Vanessa Benke (Toleo, Brazil/College of Central Florida) who is returning for her senior season. Benke's returns to the FGCU lineup following a season-ending injury early last season.

As a team, FGCU hit .212 with 13.45 kills per set on 12.84 assists per set. The Eagles also compiled 200.5 blocks and 163 aces, 47 more than their opponents.

THE LINEUP

Kazarian and Benke are the lone seniors on the Eagle roster. The pair of outside hitters will be joined by junior Caroline Jordan (Orlando, Fla./William R. Boone High School), the team's active leader in matches played.

With the departure of four seniors following the 2014 season, coach Botsford will look to five freshman and two transfers to fill and propel the Eagles to their first A-Sun Championship Final appearance since 2009. The Green and Blue will need to replace A-Sun All-Conference selections Olivia Mesner, Gigi Meyer and Whitney Masters. Jessica Barnes also finished her eligibility following the 2014 season. Barnes and Mesner combined for more than 750 kills, while Meyer led the team with 1375 assists and Masters surpassed the 500 dig mark as the libero. Meyer, the A-Sun Setter of the Year, led the conference in assists and assists per set (11.55).

NEW ORLEANS

New Orleans returns six letterwinners from a 2014 team that finished 6-24 but also bring in nine newcomers. Of the returners, senior Celeste Ramirez recorded 286 digs and 139 assists. Senior Lauren Levy registered 265 digs in 2014. Offensively, the Privateers return sophomore Cara Sander who led the team with 242 kills. UNO will look to senior Sara Hammoutene to set up Sander. Hammoutene surpassed 700 assists last season and recorded 50 assists against Southern for a season high.

UNO will need to fill the void left by Mikay Sellers-Wiebe who finished second on the team with 213 kills as well as Taylor Berry, one of the team's best defensive players from 2014 (49 blocks).

Millicent Van Norden begins her second year as head coach at New Orleans. Van Norden's Privateers ended the year with a .117 attack percentage with 9.91 kills per set.

Friday marks the first meeting between FGCU and New Orleans.

FORDHAM

The Rams are coming off of a 3-25 season and are picked to finish ninth in the Atlantic 10. Senior Brianna O'Neil led the team with 229 kills, averaging 2.49 per set while Brennan Delsing will look to improve upon her 177 kills. Fellow senior Abigail Konovodoff fell just short of 700 assists in 2014, finishing the year with 690. Konovodoff also finished second on the team with 203 digs, trailing only fellow returner Grace Muller (281).

Fordham will need to replace Lisa Hipp's 196 kills on the offensive end and cut down on 45 ball handling errors. On the defensive side, sophomore Sarah Skelton led the way with 27 blocks.

Fordham is led by third year head coach Gini Ullery. The Rams ended the season with a hitting percentage of .104, averaging 10.4 kills per set. Defensively, Fordham recorded 152 blocks in 2014.

The Rams and Eagles will meet for the first time on Saturday.

PRESBYTERIAN COLLEGE

The Blue Hose lose five seniors from 2014 including three All-Conference selections. Presbyterian finished 12-16 overall last year but earned a 7-7 record in Big South play. Sophomore Ashton Stewart is the lone returner with more than 100 kills during the 2014 season. Stewart compiled 201 kills in her freshman season and also finished second on the team with 68 blocks. Halle Tripp recorded 97 kills as a sophomore and looks to play a bigger role as a junior after starting in eight matches last season. Presbyterian will also need to fill the void left by graduating setter Ashtin Frank who surpassed the 1000 assist mark during her senior campaign.

Korrinn Burgess begins her third season at Presbyterian, leading the Blue Hose to consecutive 7-7 finishes in the Big South. PC maintained an attack percentage of .140, averaging 11.7 kills per set on 10.9 assists per set.

FGCU is 5-0 all-time against Presbyterian, meeting for the first time in 2004 as Division II programs. In 2005, FGCU defeated PC three times, including a 3-0 win in the opening round of the Division II Tournament. The Eagles and Blue Hose have not met since 2006. FGCU came away victorious in that match, winning in straight sets.

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 concluded his first year at the helm of the FGCU volleyball program with a record of 19-11 with a second-place finish in Atlantic Sun Conference play. Botsford's team also had five players recognized as All-Conference winner 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 raise awareness.