Live stats vs. FIU | Live stats vs. IUPUI | Live stats vs. FGCU 

STATESBORO – It has been three years since the Georgia Southern volleyball program won the Southern Conference Championship and went to the NCAA Tournament. 

It was the culmination of five straight winning seasons and back-to-back 25-plus win campaigns. Confidence permeated the program, and the annual expectations were high. The calm demeanor and composure that develops through those experiences has waned in recent seasons.

"We have lacked some confidence, especially in some tight matches or really, really big matches," said Georgia Southern coach Dustin Wood. "In those situations, we lost sight of what we're doing, and it was freak out mode."

Regaining the poise necessary to win pivotal points in tough matches is paramount for the Eagles to take the next step, and it started last season as Georgia Southern tied for second in the Sun Belt's East Division. With four starters and 14 letterwinners back in uniform, the Eagles will look to build on their momentum.

Wood points to offensive efficiency as the key. Defensively, the Eagles ranked fourth in the Sun Belt in digs and fifth in the league in holding their opponents to a .197 hitting percentage last year.

"Our offense needs to go," said Wood. "Defensively, we did the right things. We shut down top players in the conference, and we held good teams to low hitting percentages. We should be beating people if we're keeping offenses under .100 so a big emphasis was on offense this preseason. Our setting has been good throughout preseason, and I also think that it's a two-way street with three senior hitters. They're getting all the information they need, and they're utilizing that information to be able to play smarter and produce."

The Eagles played an exhibition match for the first time during Wood's tenure back on Aug. 19 against Georgia College. It was a beneficial dress rehearsal for a couple freshmen who started and saw their first collegiate action and allowed the coaching staff a chance to evaluate in a game environment.

Wood said he will use the first three weekends of the campaign to continue to tinker with the rotations and schemes, and the Clemson Classic on the fourth weekend will be a good test before the Eagles open conference play at home Sept. 22. 

Outside Hitters
Seniors Cathrine Murray and Anna Wenger look to lead one of the deeper positions on the team, and both started the exhibition match. Murray finished with 12 kills, 11 digs and four blocks after averaging 2.31 kills, 2.43 digs and 0.28 blocks per set in 2016.

"Cathrine has been having a good preseason, and I really feel that she is ready to put everything together," said Wood. "We are going to rely on her to go six rotations, and she is becoming a very smart outside hitter so we are looking for her to hit us in the .200s every night. If things go well for her, I think she's an all-conference kid, but she's really focused on herself and what she can do for the team and she's managing that pretty well."

Wenger played a lot of right side last season because of some injuries, and the transfer from Akron averaged 1.72 kills and 1.86 points per set. Wood said she will move back to the left side this year.

"We know we are going to get consistent hitting out of Anna," said Wood. "The question with her is if she can go all six rotations. She's definitely improved on her passing, and defense is something that we will continue to work on, but night in night out we know what we are going to get out of her. She's blocking pretty well right now, and mentally, she's with it. I'm looking forward to seeing what she's going to do her senior year here."

Sophomores Ryan Tuten and Kendall Adams will also see playing time. Tuten played in 13 matches, and her jump serve is a big weapon for the Eagles. She played in two sets in the exhibition and logged a pair of aces and a dig. Adams saw action in three matches last season, and has had a tremendous preseason camp.

"Kendall and Ryan have had a really good preseason coming off their freshman year," said Wood. "They don't look like freshmen anymore; they're confident. Kendall had heck of a preseason camp, and she's been swinging at the ball very well. Ryan's jump serve is going to be a weapon for us, and she's also hitting back row attack very, very well and effectively out of there so right now the thing with her is her passing game. She wants to be on the floor, and she's in the right mindset to help this team."

Right Side Hitters
Megan Chevalier returns as one of the Eagles' top offensive threats. The redshirt senior averaged 1.82 kills, 0.15 digs and 0.33 blocks per set in an injury-plagued junior campaign. She posted nine kills and two blocks in the exhibition.

"When healthy, Chev can be one of the best right sides in the conference, and if we need to give her a break, we have people right behind her," said Wood. "She's been really stepping up as the leader. She doesn't say too much, but when she does, people listen. She's more vocal and holding some people accountable and she has really grown as a person. She has a lot of the tools, and she's just looking to put everything together and have a good senior year."

Carly Turner, who played in 10 matches last year, will look increase her work load this season. She tallied two kills in two sets in the exhibition. 

"Right now, Carly has been running a lot of right side, but she's blocking very well and she's been working on some shots in her offense. We saw a lot of good things this past week from her," said Wood. "She's ready, she's not a freshman anymore. She's itching to get out there, and I'm sure she will produce."

Junior Julia Landavazo, who played in three matches, has been impressive throughout the preseason as well. 

"Julia has been doing some good things," said Wood. "She's been competing really hard, she's blocking very well on the right side and she's doing some really good things at practice. I think she will be in the mix for some time."

Middles 
Lauren Reichard led the Eagles with 15 kills and seven blocks in the exhibition and returns as the Eagles top middle. The junior started all 33 matches and averaged 2.13 kills and 1.09 blocks a set.
 
"Lauren is a very exciting player to watch, and I'm excited to see what she can do when we get the ball to her and what future lies ahead for her as far as an accolades," said Wood. "I really do feel that she's the best middle in our conference, but she has to prove that this year. She has all the tools, is a very physical player and she's really honing in on the details. She is a natural leader, both by example and she is very vocal. She is really helping our young middles develop, and it's speeding up their learning quickly in that position."

Freshman Skylar Ball has emerged as the other starting middle and notched two kills and five blocks in the exhibition.

"We recruited Skylar as an opposite, but we knew she played middle in club a couple years ago," said Wood. "She just picked up where she left off. She's been a nice surprise in that position. We saw her hit a few balls, and we were like, 'she can do it.' She's very physical, very quick and she's so big in there. You have to know there's going to be some mistakes with her, but we've upgraded that position so we're good. You are going to see her a lot."

Freshmen Lauren Hager and Caroline Wise are also in the mix for playing time. 

"Hager has all the tools to be successful, and she has to figure out the speed of the game and what the college level is all about," said Wood. "We're hoping each day she gets a little bit better. We're hoping that she gets a little more comfortable and can get some time this year. Caroline was injured in preseason camp, and we're waiting to see when she'll be able to be back."

Defensive Specialists 
The defensive specialist and libero corps is probably the deepest on the team, and Wood has been pleased with their ability to push each other in practice.

Joscelin Morrow made the start at libero in the exhibition and tallied 10 digs, three assists and a pair of aces. She played in 26 matches and logged 1.34 digs per set last season. 

"Joscelin has done a lot of good things for us the past two years playing behind a really good libero, and I think she is chomping at the bit right now to prove what she can do," said Wood. "The thing with her is she has to stay within herself and don't try to do too much and let the game come to her."

Casey McColl will compete for playing time at libero and in the back row. The junior averaged 0.64 digs a set in 23 matches.  

"Casey has made some really good changes on the court, and I think mentally, she has made some really good changes to help her be able to adjust to the speed at this level," said Wood. "I think she's open to everything so that's going to be an interesting battle. It might be something by committee."

Ashley Dean, Kelsey Meins and Brooke Birch will see action in the back row, and all three played in the exhibition. Birch posted eight digs in three sets of work, while Meins and Dean each played a set. 

"We have a lot of options," said Wood. "Ashley has been doing some really good things at practice. She's been passing really well, she's working on some structure things and in the book work she's been doing some good things too out there. Kelsey is a former setter so we're looking at her in terms of how she can still run an offense off of a bail out, and Brooke stepped up in the exhibition."

Setters
New faces will be running the offense this season as April Luther and Landon Jones will be counted on to help the Eagles push the team hitting percentage into the .200s.

Luther sat out last season at UTEP before transferring to Georgia Southern. The junior led the Eagles with 26 assists in the exhibition while adding seven digs and a pair of blocks.  

 "April is just a strong setter, who can move the ball wherever she wants," said Wood. "She sets the ball with ease and can throw the ball anywhere anytime, especially in transition, so one thing that she's working on is managing the game, not trying to do too much. There are some times in practice when she's trying to do too much, and it's actually hurt us but I do like the aggressiveness out there. She's a true leader and has that leadership that needs to be in that position."

Jones surprised the coaching staff a bit with her touch and made the start at setter in the exhibition match. The freshman finished the day with 11 assists and seven digs.

"When she came in here, we were going to look at Landon as a libero or DS," said Wood. "She was setting some balls in some bail out situations, and we were like, 'we need to get her in there.' She's got a natural touch on the ball, her hands are probably the best on the team, the location is great and she makes it look effortless. I mean it's easy for her; it's just fine tuning the details. One thing that she needs to work on is pushing the balls out to the pin. Now that she's dealing with athletic hitters, we need to be able to work with speed and push the ball."

Schedule
The Eagles open the season at the Florida Gulf Coast Invitational this weekend before returning to Statesboro to host tournaments on consecutive weekends. A trip to the Clemson Classic Sept. 15 caps the tournament portion of the schedule, and the Eagles open Sun Belt play in Hanner Fieldhouse against Louisiana and ULM Sept. 22-23.

"The schedule allows us to kind of look at some different things as far as personnel and lineups and what we could do before going into that fourth weekend," said Wood. "What we're hoping, and the plan is to be ready to go with a pretty solid lineup by the fourth weekend at Clemson. That will be a fun but tough weekend that will prepare us for conference play."

Defending Sun Belt champion Coastal Carolina was picked to win the East, and 2015 champ Arkansas State was picked to win the West. Picked third in the East, the Eagles are hoping to build on last year's defensive performance and make enough improvement offensively to challenge the Chanticleers. 

"We have proven what we can do defensively - that we can hold teams to a hitting percentage that can win matches, but our offense has to go," said Wood. "I think we are stepping in the right direction. If we can produce offensively on these close matches, then we will get the wins and build from there."

Season tickets sales for Georgia Southern volleyball are currently underway, and one $40 season ticket covers general admission seating for all home matches. Parking is free.

Georgia Southern Athletics provides current information on all its sports through its official website, GSEagles.com, which is fully responsive across all mobile devices. Information on Eagle athletics can also be found through social media channels facebook.com/GSAthletics, twitter.com/GSAthletics and Instagram.com/GSAthletics. To purchase tickets to Georgia Southern athletics events, visit GSEagles.com/tickets.

In order to expedite entry and provide a safe environment for all patrons and participants, Georgia Southern Athletics has implemented a Clear Bag Policy for all ticketed sporting events, effective Aug. 1, 2017. Fans can find the complete policy as well as an FAQ section at GSEagles.com/ClearBag.