VOLLEYBALL MATCHDAY: Tritons Head to Orlando for South Region Crossover

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - After a break of nearly two weeks, the Eckerd volleyball team returns to action this weekend with three matches at the annual South Region Crossover presented by Junior's Catering at the Orlando Sports Center.

MATCH 16: Eckerd (11-4) vs. West Alabama (12-8) | Friday - 2:30 PM | Live Stats
MATCH 17: Eckerd (11-4) vs. West Florida (13-5) | Friday - 7:00 PM | Live Stats
MATCH 18: Eckerd (11-4) vs. North Alabama (16-3) | Saturday - 12:15 PM | Live Stats
COVERAGE: South Region Tournament Home

SETTING THE STAGE: The Tritons currently sit atop the Sunshine State Conference and will face a difficult slate of matches at the crossover.  Last year, Eckerd went a perfect 3-0 at the event in Georgia.  EC hasn't played since October 1, thanks to last weekend's contests being postponed due to Hurricane Matthew.  The Tritons head into the tournament riding a four-match winning streak.

FIVE-SET SUCCESS: Eckerd has gone to five sets on five occasions already this season, going 4-1 in those contests.  The Tritons have won their last four five-setters, all in conference play, including a pair of 3-2 wins two weekends ago.

ABOUT WEST ALABAMA: It's been a feast-or-famine season thus far for the Tigers, who enter the crossover with a 12-8 overall record and 5-6 mark in the Gulf South Conference.  Eleven of their last 12 matches have been decided in straight sets with UWA having won six of those.  Briana Sandifer (3.99 kills per set) and Yanesha Johnson (3.23 kills per set) lead the team's attack.

ABOUT WEST FLORIDA: Friday will end with a difficult test against a West Florida team that enters the weekend as the Gulf South leader with a 9-1 record in conference play.  The Argonauts tested themselves with a tough non-conference slate that features matches against five top-25 opponents; UWF went 1-4 in those matches.  The team, however, has been dominant in GSC play with the only blip coming on the road at Union (Tenn.).  Like Eckerd, the Argos feature a balanced attack with four players averaging between 2.67 and 2.07 kills per set.

ABOUT NORTH ALABAMA: The Tritons wrap up the weekend against UNA, which currently sits in third place in the GSC with an 8-3 conference mark.  The Lions' last eight matches have all been decided in straight sets, with UNA winning six of those contests.  Five players average 2.0 or more kills per set, led by Natasha Fomina with 3.89.