FAIRMONT – When head coach Courtney Materazzi's Fairmont State volleyball team takes the floor for the first time on Friday afternoon at the Edinboro Volleyball Crossover, her veteran squad will be looking to build off the school's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1998.
 
Materazzi, who enters her fourth year as Fairmont State's head volleyball coach, has led the Falcons to a 70-29 overall record during the past three seasons – finishing in the top three of the league in each of the seasons and falling to nationally-ranked Wheeling Jesuit in each of the last three Mountain East Conference Tournament Championship matches.
 
With those recent results, and a roster that includes four seniors, four juniors and 13 returning players; the Falcons came into camp knowing that expectations would be high this season.
 
However, Materazzi feels that her team has been up to the challenge so far.
 
"With 13 of 15 players on our roster returning, we have been able to jump right into system play and the maturity level and motivation has been high during fall camp," said Materazzi. "Our players were upset by the early loss in the NCAA Tournament last season and know that we must play well early to get another chance this season."
 
Four players on Fairmont's roster have been on the team during each of the last three seasons – coming up short of winning a conference championship in the MEC Tournament Finals each year. Mackenzie Harrison, Jessica Furda, Julia Shemaitis and Morgan Poling want to flip the script in 2017 – their final season in a Fairmont State uniform.
 
"This season is so bittersweet," said Harrison. "Coming into my last year, we have high expectations and as a captain and senior I want to lead by example and help make our gym competitive each and every day, we can't take days, moments or plays off if we want to be successful."
 
Fellow senior and setter Jessica Furda agrees.
 
"Returning for my senior year is both exciting and overwhelming," said Furda. "As a team captain and leader, I hope to lead the team through encouragement, dependability and hard work. We need to take advantage of opportunities on and off the court and I want to push the team to do just that."
 
Harrison, an honorable mention All-American selection by D2CCA as a junior, continues to build her legacy at Fairmont State. As the team's starting right-side hitter in each of the last three seasons, Harrison enters her senior season in 10^th place in school history in kills. A season ago, Harrison recorded the second-most kills in school history and in NCAA Division II with 581. She ranked in the top 10 in the country in both points and kills per set and was named MEC Player of the Week three times during the 2016 season.
 
The Twinsburg, Ohio standout also recorded three of the top 10 single-game performances in school history last season with 31 kills against Notre Dame College, 27 against Seton Hill and 26 vs. Gannon in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
 
"Obviously we are thrilled to have an All-American hitter returning this season," said Materazzi when asked about Harrison's presence on the court. "She is a force and constantly pushes herself and tries to get the most out of herself and her teammates every single day."
 
"But, the best part about this team is that each of our four seniors lead in their own way and we rely on them to keep the tempo and pace in our gym every day."
 
Fellow senior and starting setter Jessica Furda is also climbing the FSU record book in career assists, currently sitting in sixth place with 2,653 in her first three seasons with the Falcons. As a junior, Furda ranked second in the MEC in assists – putting together the 10^th-best single season in school history for a setter with 1,290 assists.
 
Junior libero Megan Clerico and senior defensive specialist and hitter Julia Shemaitis both anchored the team's defense with 584 and 321 digs respectively in 2016. Clerico earned MEC honorable mention as a sophomore after ranking fourth in the league in digs.
 
In addition, Poling has moved from outside hitter to middle hitter for her senior season.
 
Fairmont State will be tested early, as Walsh and Bellarmine are the first two opponents listed on the schedule for 2017.  A year ago, the Falcons dropped matches to both teams at the Walsh Crossover in North Canton, including a 3-2 loss to the Knights and a 3-1 defeat to the home standing Cavaliers.
 
"Since we are unable to influence or control our conference schedule, non-conference and regional matches are critical for bid selection and regional rankings," said Materazzi when asked about her aggressive non-conference scheduling. "We strive to play the top teams, it is not an option if we want to continue to play in the postseason."
 
Fairmont will meet Walsh at 12 noon on Friday afternoon, before wrapping up the first day of action with a 5 p.m. showdown with Bellarmine in the evening. Play will continue on Saturday, as FSU will tangle with Lock Haven at 12:30 and Saint Rose at 5:30.