BUIES CREEK, N.C.-Campbell volleyball returns home for the first time in nearly three weeks for a pair of Atlantic Sun home contests with Jacksonville and North Florida. The Fighting Camels will face the Dolphins on Friday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m., followed by a Saturday afternoon meeting with UNF, slated for a 3 p.m. start.

The Camels come into the weekend at 6-12 on the season and 0-3 in the A-Sun, still searching for their first league win of 2007.

"The girls are feeling good right now," said CU Head Coach Malinda Ashcraft. "They know they're improving and getting better every day. They're certainly disappointed because they've not won as much as they have wanted to; these girls aren't accustomed to losing very much. They have what it takes to compete at this level, but you can't press a fast forward button on experience."

Last time out, the Camels came up short at Gardner-Webb, falling to a 3-1 disadvantage. With much improved offensive numbers, the Fighting Camels rode on the strength of an overall hitting percentage at .278. The last time the squad attacked the net better than that was over a month ago, when the Camels hit an efficient .400 vs. Winston-Salem State (Aug. 28, 2007).

Several Fighting Camels recorded season and career highs during the contest, as freshman Emily Werner notched a .412 hitting percentage and Elizabeth Ennis, another freshman, tallied 39 assists in the loss. Junior Femi Alabi also knocked a season-high 15 kills while sophomore Melissa Harvey amassed five aces in the match. Ashley Weers, also a sophomore, racked up double-digit kills for the first time this season, with ten in the match.

In addition to her 15 kills, Alabi, a middle blocker, hit a stellar .357 while assisting on four blocks. Harvey, serving as the Camels' libero, grabbed 19 digs on the day, while freshman Caroline Hammersley notched 13 of her own.

With their 14 total aces in the contest, the Fighting Camels continue to climb the national rankings, moving to number six with 2.59 aces per game.

Leading the way for the Camels is junior middle blocker Femi Alabi, averaging 2.72 kills and 1.02 blocks per game while hitting .287 on the year. Freshman outside hitter Taylor Deering is also doing her part for the squad, pulling 3.13 kills, 1.9 digs and 0.57 service aces per game.

"We've got a lot of girls that are playing well for us right now," said Ashcraft. "Ashley Weers stepped in two weeks ago in Florida, and has done a phenomenal job. Elisabeth Ennis, one of our freshmen, has assumed the role of setting and has done a great job, getting better every time she touches a ball, it seems. Then, Femi continues to improve on top of that."

Facing the Fighting Camels on Friday, the Dolphins (9-9, 3-0 A-Sun) offer some of the A-Sun's top blockers, averaging 2.98 as a team. Three JU players rank in the league's top five as individuals, with senior Melissa Merchant (1^st, 1.69), freshman Aiden Yeager (3^rd, 1.15) and Abby Gruenbacher (4^th, 1.07), also a freshman.

North Florida (4-14, 1-3 A-Sun) will come into Saturday's match following a meeting with Gardner-Webb on Friday. The Ospreys are led by freshman Madeline Belvin, averaging 7.89 assists per game, while senior Maegan Weisert grabs 3.78 digs per game.

Following their weekend at home, the Fighting Camels will make a trip to Georgia for two more A-Sun battles, stopping at Mercer on Oct. 12 and Kennesaw State on Oct. 13.