Orlando, Fla. - The Stony Brook volleyball team opens its 18th Division I campaign this weekend with three matches in Orlando at the Holiday Inn Orlando East/UCF Invitational. The Seawolves will face the host Knights to open the season Friday afternoon, followed by a Friday evening match against Stetson and a Saturday afternoon contest vs. Kent State.

Pack Plenty of Snacks
The Seawolves play their first seven matches and 10 of their first 11 on the road for the second consecutive year.

Scouting the Knights
UCF went 15-17 in 2015 and finished seventh out of 11 teams in the American Athletic Conference with a 9-11 mark in league play. The 2015 season followed a 2014 campaign in which the Knights went 25-8, 18-2 in The American, and captured the conference's automatic qualifier to the NCAA tournament.

The Knights return their top two offensive players in Kia Bright (4.20 kills/set) and Jale Hervey (3.92), along with libero Jordan Pingel (4.95 digs/set). Bright and Hervey were named preseason all-conference selections, with UCF picked to finish fourth in The American.

The Last Time We Met: UCF
Friday marks the first-ever meeting between the Seawolves and Knights.

Scouting the Hatters
Stetson posted an 11-18 record in 2015 and a 5-9 mark in the Atlantic Sun. Eleven of the 17 players on the Stetson roster for 2016 are either freshmen or sophomores.

The Hatters' top returner in kills/set is McKenna Foster (2.47), with Madison Akins (2.42) also back. Stetson was limited to a .166 hitting percentage in 2015 but held opponents to a .200 mark.

The Last Time We Met: Stetson
The Seawolves and Hatters will meet for the first time Friday.

Scouting the Golden Flashes
Kent State was 20-10 in 2015 and recorded a 13-3 mark in the MAC, bowing out in the conference tournament semifinals. The Golden Flashes went 4-1 against common opponents of the Seawolves in 2015, defeating Buffalo twice and picking up wins over Albany and Oakland, while falling to Hofstra.

The top returner for the Golden Flashes in kills/set is Kelsey Bittinger (3.62). Setter Katarina Kojic also returns for Kent State after ranking second in the MAC in 2015 in assists/set (10.50) and first in aces/set (0.44). Libero Challen Geraghty paced the MAC in digs/set (5.74) in 2015.

The Last Time We Met: Kent State
The two programs have met just once before in their histories. Kent State picked up a 3-0 win over the Seawolves at Pritchard Gymnasium, Sept. 2, 2011, as part of the Seawolves Invite.

We Were Only Freshmen
The 2015 incoming class made an immediate impact on the court, as McKyla Brooks, Morgan Kath and Taylor Wilson all logged major time for Stony Brook. Brooks was an America East All-Rookie selection, Kath ranked second in the conference in assists/set, and Wilson was second among conference freshmen in hitting percentage in AE matches.

Juniors With Seniority
There are no seniors on the 2016 roster, which leaves the triumvirate of Melann Amory, Cydney Bowman and Dani Nizich as the senior-most members of the Seawolves. Amory leads all returning players with 2.31 digs/set in 2015 and added 1.67 kills/set while playing in 30 matches. Nizich played as a defensive specialist in 22 matches, while Bowman appeared in 17 matches.

Challenging Slate Awaits
The Seawolves will play seven of their first 12 matches against teams that finished the 2015 season with an RPI of 106 or better.

Welcome Back
The Seawolves also regain the services of two players who redshirted as sophomores in 2015. Outside hitter Emily Costello and defensive specialist Abby Hickey both return for 2016.

Remember The Name(s)
The Seawolves feature five freshmen in 2016. Kardasia Hitchcock, Maria Poole, Jordan Gels, Liz Pulver and LeAnne Sakowicz join the squad for the new year.

Serrano Named to Stony Brook Hall of Fame
Seawolves alum Jessica Serrano-Plugues '00, the program's all-time leader in kills with 2,205, will be inducted into the Stony Brook Athletics Rita and Kurt Eppenstein Hall of Fame October 14.

New York State of Mind
The Seawolves have defeated eight New York State opponents since Coach Pawlikowski took over in 2013 (Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, Columbia, Fordham, Manhattan, St. Francis Brooklyn, Syracuse).

Up Next: Hofstra
The Seawolves will return to Long Island for a midweek match Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Hempstead against cross-island foe Hofstra. The match has been relocated to the Mack Fitness Center due to the upcoming Presidential debate at Hofstra.