LAKE CHARLES- McNeese volleyball will take to the road this weekend for its season opening tournament at the Courtyard by Marriott Samford Tournament in Birmingham, Alabama. The tournament is the first of four on the 2018 schedule.
 
McNeese will play two matches on Friday beginning with a 12:30 p.m. match against the host team, Samford. Friday's action will conclude with a 5 p.m. match against Kennesaw State.
 
The Cowgirls will conclude tournament action with a 12 p.m. match against Loyola-Chicago on Saturday.
 
All three matches will be streamed live with the Samford game being streamed on ESPN+ and the other two on the SoCon Digital Network. Live stats will also be provided throughout the tournament.
 
"We are excited to get the season underway," said head coach Ashleigh Fitzgerald. "While we still have a long way to go, we are feeling really prepared for the first weekend compared to past seasons. This weekend we will go up against three tough opponents and we will have to bring it."
 
Coming off their most successful season since 2007 with a 19-13 record, McNeese returns nine letterwinners who have alot of experience under their belt.
 
Top returners include seniors Alexandra Aguilera and Ebony Lewis, juniors Keegan Nelms, Katelyn Elliott, Angela McGownd, and sophomore Madison Fontenot.
 
Aguilera returns for her final season after dishing out 494 assists for an average of 4.94 per set as a junior while Lewis returns as the top blocker after picking up 73 in 2017.
 
Nelms led the Cowgirls in kills last season with 306 and was second on the team with 372 digs.
 
Elliott was third on the team in kills with 246 and a .208 attack percent.
 
McGownd led the defense with 621 digs for an average of 5.05 per set, ranking 17^th in the nation in digs and 35^th in digs per set.
 
Fontenot returns as the Cowgirls top server after recording 28 service aces in her freshman season last year. She also tallied 259 digs in 2017, good for third on the team.
 
Samford, a member of the Southern Conference is coming off a 13-18 overall record and 8-8 in league play.
 
Kennesaw State is a member of the Big South Conference and is coming off its most successful season after posting a 21-5 overall record and winning its second straight regular season championship with a 13-1 conference record.
 
The Owls, who are picked to finish second in the preseason poll, return nine letterwinners from a year ago.
 
A member of the Missouri Valley, Loyola-Chicago is coming off a 5-24 season in 2017.