PENSACOLA, Fla. – Coming off of another great weekend of work from the UIndy Invitational, the University of West Florida Volleyball team will hit the road once again this weekend to play in the FMU Invitational from Florence, South Carolina.

Featuring the likes of Francis Marion, Mount Olive, Gannon, and Charleston, this Invitational offers some more early-season tests to this Argonaut team who has shined bright early on this year.

Coming off of a 3-1 weekend in Indianapolis, West Florida will enter this Invitational at 7-1 overall as they look to continue to rise up the national polls. Moving up to No. 19 nationally in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll, the Argonauts moved up two spots since the last poll and are currently the only team in the GSC ranked.

About West Florida: The Argonauts head to Florence with a big target on their back after a great start to their 2021 season. Going 7-1 through their first eight matches, West Florida has picked up all seven of their wins in sweeping fashion.

Led by the back-to-back GSC Offensive Player of the Week, Madi Cooler, the Argonauts offense has gotten off to a blazing start to the season leading the conference and nation in many categories.

Nationally, West Florida currently ranks first in kills per set (15.76) while also placing second in assists per set (14.32) behind the veteran leadership of setter Taylor Vaneekeren. Additionally, the Argonauts also rank seventh in the nation in hitting % (.305) and sit fifth in blocks per set (2.80) with Veresia Yon heading the charge with 1.28 blocks per set.

Within the Gulf South Conference, West Florida ranks first in kills, blocks, assists, and hitting percentage after their great start to the season.

About Mount Olive: The Trojans will enter Friday's match against West Florida with a 5-1 record overall including wins in their past four matches.

Offensively, Mount Olive is led by Amara Eziakonwa who has totaled 62 kills and 81.5 points total from her middle blocker position. In addition to Eziakonwa, five other Trojan players have totaled over 30 kills already this season in just six matches on the season.

On the defensive side, libero Morgan Prots has been a big asset for Mount Olive leading the team in digs with 83 so far on the season. Eziakonwa is another player to look out for defensively as she leads the Trojans in blocks with 14 total blocks on the year.

About Francis Marion: As the hosts of the Invitational, Francis Marion enters the weekend with a 3-5 record after a bumpy first two weekends of play.

Tabbed to finish sixth in the Conference Carolinas Preseason Poll, the Patriots have had a good touch on their offense this season but have been unable to win some close contests early on this season.

Senior outside hitter Alyssa Hansen has been the leader of this Francis Marion offense this season leading the team in both kills and points two weeks into the season. Not just a one-hitter show, the Patriots currently have six players with over 30 kills on the season.

This balanced offense is spearheaded by Sophomore setter Kaylee Gillespie who has already totaled 293 assists on the season which was good enough to earn her Specialist of the Week award after the Patriots first week of play.

About Charleston: The Golden Eagles enter this weekend with a record of 5-3 on the season after playing in the Christian Brothers Invitational as well as the UC Invitational to start the season.

Tabbed to finish third in the MEC behind Wheeling and West Virginia State, Charleston has used this ranking to fuel a very respectable start to their 2021 campaign.

Offensively, Sage Beamson jumps off the page for the Golden Eagles totaling 86 kills to lead Charleston's offense. Maria Hernandez handles setting duties racking up 251 assists so far on the season which is good enough to average over eight per set played.

Defensively, the Golden Eagles to a good job at the net recording 50 total blocks on the season including three players with double-digit blocks on the season.

About Gannon: Gannon enters the FMU Invitational with a 7-1 record on the season with their only loss of the season coming in a five-set match against the No. 4 ranked Nebraska Kearney.

Currently just outside the top 25 in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll, Gannon has shown they can compete with high levels of competition and will be a tough opponent for any team in the country.

Offensively, Gannon has five players with 45 or more kills already this season including Lauren Sampson, Maggie Greenfield, and Maddie Blake who each have 55 or more kills this season. Ashley Beyers has conducted the Golden Knights offense with great efficiency to start the season compiling 263 assists in just eight matches on the year.

In addition to Greenfield's presence offensively, she also poses a big blocking presence for Gannon totaling 21 blocks to start the season. In total, the Golden Knights have 55.5 blocks as a team and should limit their opponent's chances all weekend.

Schedule for the Weekend: Play begins at 10 am (CST) on Friday when the Argonauts take on Mount Olive to kick off the Invitational. Later that night, West Florida returns for their second match of the day taking on hosts Francis Marion at 6 pm (CST) to close out the first day of action.

Day two sees the Argonauts play two more matches with the first match coming at 10 am (CST) against Charleston. The final match of the weekend is set for 2 pm (CST) on Saturday with West Florida slated to take on Gannon before heading home.

How to Follow the Argos: For complete information on UWF Volleyball, follow the team on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook at @UWFVolleyball