Editor's Note: The attached video features senior captain Lexi Millington explaining her duties as the Red Foxes' libero.
FORT MYERS, Florida - For its final regular season tournament of 2016, the Marist volleyball team will head to the campus of Florida Gulf Coast University for the FGCU Homewood Suites Classic on Sept. 9 and 10. The Red Foxes will battle South Alabama (10 a.m.) and Indiana (2:30 p.m.) on day one and face off against the host Eagles at 10 a.m. the second day.
Live stats will be available for all three matches and can be found on the tournament webpage. There will be free live video streams of Marist's contests against Indiana and Florida Gulf Coast.
Last Time Out
Marist lost three matches at the Cornell Invitational during the Labor Day weekend, falling to James Madison to open the tournament Sept. 2 before dropping contests against Colgate and the host Big Red respectively the following day.
The Red Foxes rebounded from a tough start against Cornell to end the third set on a roll, and made the Big Red earn an extra point to seal the match as the final set ended 26-24. Marist freshman Nikki DeSerpa slammed a career-high 15 kills alongside two blocks and a pair of service aces.
Player To Watch
Freshman Megan Fergus averaged 3.00 kills per set and 3.18 points per set for the Red Foxes at the Cornell Invitational. She tied for the team lead in kills (15) against Cornell and also dove for four digs and posted two blocks. Through the first six matches of the season, Fergus leads all Red Foxes with 46 kills.
Scouting The Jaguars
South Alabama has gotten out of the gate with a 6-1 record this season and rides a four-game winning streak into the weekend. Three of the Jaguars' wins have come in five sets, including their most recent victory over Southern Mississippi on Sept. 6.
Freshman Iva Durdanovic has 13 of South Alabama's 50 service aces on the season and has also racked up 69 kills and 70 digs. The Jaguars have only allowed 25 aces to their opponents through the first seven matches of the year.
Scouting The Hoosiers
At 7-0, Indiana currently has the longest winning streak of any Big 10 team. Four of the Hoosiers' wins have been shutouts and they lead the conference in service aces (2.1) and digs (9.4) per set.
With 85 kills and a .390 hitting percentage, redshirt freshman Kendall Beerman leads Indiana's attack. Senior Jazzmine MacDonald has registered a team-high 19 total blocks, including 11 solo.
Scouting The Eagles
After winning their last three matches in straight sets, Florida Gulf Coast (4-2) will host a tournament for the second straight weekend. The Eagles have not lost at home in 2016. Their only losses this season came against Villanova and Western Kentucky, respectively, at the Ohio Tournament on Aug. 26 and 27.
Sophomore Amanda Carroll leads the Atlantic Sun averaging 4.21 kills per set and holds the team lead with 80.
Looking Ahead
In a battle for the Hudson River, Marist will take on Army West Point in the Red Foxes' 2016 home opener at 7 p.m. Sept. 13. The match will kick off five straight contests in McCann Arena to finish off the month of September.
