FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Indiana Tech volleyball team will compete in their second consecutive invitational weekend as they make the short drive south to Marion, Indiana on Friday as they take part in the Indiana Wesleyan Invitational.
 
Indiana Tech (2-2)
 
Friday, Sept. 2, 12 p.m. vs. Judson (2-4) – Marion, Ind. (Luckey Arena)
Friday, Sept.2, 5 p.m. vs. Trinity Christian (3-4) – Marion, Ind. (Luckey Arena)
Saturday, Sept. 3, 12 p.m. vs. Taylor (3-2) – Marion, Ind. (Luckey Arena)
Saturday, Sept. 3, 5 p.m. at #23 Indiana Wesleyan (6-1) – Marion, Ind. (Luckey Arena)
 
Follow Along: The Warriors first three games will have live stats while the IWU match will also feature live video. You can get caught up on the action by following @IndianaTechVB and @INTechWarriors on Twitter.
 
Wrapping Up Last Year: The Warriors finished the 2015 season with a 22-16 record overall and went 13-9 in Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) action, placing them in a tie for fourth place as they wound up with the fifth seed in the conference tournament, where they fell to regular season and eventual tournament champion Lourdes, who was undefeated and ranked 18^th in the nation at that point. It was the best finish by the Orange and Black since 2012.
 
Head Coach Kourtney Wilson: Now entering her fifth year at the helm for the Indiana Tech volleyball team, head coach Kourtney Wilson holds a 77-57 record, the second most wins in program history. She has coached 19 WHAC All-Academic team members, 12 All-Conference selections, 10 NAIA Scholar-Athletes, two All-Freshman team selections and one NAIA All-American in Kelsey Cox.
 
Scouting the Opposition: Judson – The Eagles started off the season 2-0, but have dropped their last four matches, though three of those went five sets. Jennifer Donnell leads the team in kills with 83 and ranks 47^th in the nation while Grace Smith is 27^th in the country in blocks (27) and 35^th in blocks per game (1.13).
 
Trinity Christian – The Trolls split their first six games of the year before losing their second match in a row against Georgetown Collegem 3-2, on Aug. 27. Michelle Busscher ranks 32^nd in the NAIA in total digs with 121 while Kacie Stoll leads the team in kills with 70. TCC has served up 41 service aces on the season, placing them 41^st in the national rankings.
 
Taylor – The Trojans went 3-1 to open their season at the Lindsey Wilson Invitational, but dropped their Crossroads League opener to Huntington, 3-1, on Wednesday. Kelly Arnold leads the team in kills with 64 while Becca Gerig has 55. Alex Reel is 33^rd in the nation with a 5.17 digs per game average. The team ranks 35^th in the country in that category (17.28 digs/game) and are 45^th in blocks per game with a 1.94 average.
 
Indiana Wesleyan – The Wildcats only loss on the young season came at the hands of third-ranked Lindsey Wilson at the LWU Invitational, and it is the only game in which the 23^rd-ranked team in the nation has dropped more than a set. Remy Bucknor is 27^th in the NAIA with 27 blocks and ranks 30^th in blocks per game, averaging 1.17 blocks a night.
 
Series History: Judson – Tech is 1-1 against the Eagles since the program restarted in 2005, with the Warriors winning their last matchup, 3-0, back in 2008.
 
Trinity Christian – The Warriors are 2-1 against the Trolls since 2011, most recently falling 3-0 back in 2013.
 
Taylor – The Orange and Black are 4-9 against the Trojans since 2005 and have dropped the last two meetings, most recently a 3-0 sweep back in 2013.
 
Indiana Wesleyan – Tech is 4-7 against the Wildcats since 2005 and has dropped the last four meetings, with the most recent matchup coming in 2014, a 3-0 loss in Marion.
 
Who's Back: First-Team All-Conference selections Cassie Sarabia and Taylor Kelso lead a talented Warriors group, which features 13 upperclassmen, including six sophomores, led by WHAC All-Freshman Team honoree Gabby Staggs. Senior outside hitter Jazmin Alexander is ready to take on a bigger load while starting setter Karli Jones is also back in the fold.
 
Who's New: Wilson brought in four freshmen and one junior college transfer in Brandi Huesman, who ranks first in career aces at Fort Scott Community College while holding the fourth-most career digs and fourth-most career kills in program history.
 
In the Rankings: The Orange and Black average 16.62 digs per game, which ranks as the 48^th-best mark in the nation so far this season.
 
Balanced Attack: Tech has four players with 20 or more kills, Cassie Sarabia, Gabby Staggs, Jazmin Alexander and Paige Doellman, with the first three having recorded over 30 kills so far. Sarabia, Staggs and Alexander are all averaging over 2.46 kills per set, with the first two averaging a team-best 2.96 kills per set.
 
Digging It: Taylor Kelso continues her attack on the career digs record at Indiana Tech, having recorded 61 through four games, including 25 against Xavier University of Louisiana. The senior broke the season record for digs with 780 while tying the program record for digs in a game with 37 against Aquinas.
 
First of Many: The Warriors will take part in five invitationals this season, including two on their home court. Along with this weekend's invitational at Indiana Wesleyan Invitational, the Orange and Black opened the season at the St. Thomas (Fla.) Invitational while Tech will take part in the Panther Invitational, hosted by Davenport on Sept. 23-24 while hosting the Warrior Invitational (Sept. 9-10) and the annual Liz Lykowksi Memorial Tournament (Oct. 14-15).