SALT LAKE CITY - The Westminster volleyball team will begin the 2015 season this weekend as they travel to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., to take part in the NSU Shark Invitational which is being hosted by Nova Southeastern University. All matches will be played at the NSU Arena.

The Griffins will play four matches at the tournament with two matches on Friday and another two on Saturday. They begin against Oklahoma Baptist at 9:30 a.m. MT on Friday before facing Embry-Riddle (Fla.) at 2:30 p.m. On Saturday, Westminster begins against East Central at noon and they will close the trip against Nova Southeastern at 5 p.m.

COVERING THE GRIFFINS
Live video for the Shark Invitational will be available for matches being played on the main court. The Griffins matches against Oklahoma Baptist and NSU will feature live video.

NSU will provide live statistics for all of the matches this weekend. All live features can be found by clicking here.

FOLLOWING WESTMINSTER VOLLEYBALL
Make sure to like Westminster Griffins on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and You Tube for the latest news about the Griffins.

Fans can stay connected with Westminster Volleyball by following @griffinvolleyball on Instagram.

ABOUT WESTMINSTER
Westminster begins a new era in 2015 as they join the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. The Griffins are coming off a season in which they finished 10-18 overall and placed sixth in the Frontier Conference at 4-10. They welcome back 11 letterwinners from 2014, including four starters and the libero.

Senior Jessica Chellsen returns after recording a career high 240 kills last season to rank second on the team. Taylor Gustafson, a sophomore, also returns after being named the Frontier Conference Freshman of the Year last season. Gustafson averaged 8.64 assists per set as a freshman and led the team with 29 service aces. Megan Gallegos is back at libero after being named to the Frontier Conference all-freshman team in 2014. Gallegos tallied 351 digs last season and had 15 matches with double-digit digs.

Amara Culpepper returns after leading the Griffins with 82 blocks as a freshman. She was also named to the Frontier's all-freshman team. Culpepper totaled 206 kills and hit .199 last season. Alyse Horton and Jaden Green, both seniors, will be in the mix for time this season. Horton ranks 10th in school history with 447 career kills and she has played in 86 consecutive matches. Green appeared in all 28 matches last season and recorded 236 digs.

The Griffins also return sophomores Katie Allen, Tara Ribeiro, Jacey Saunders, and Desiree Wickwar along with senior Rachel Enloe.

Westminster welcomes three freshmen to the squad in Reilly Cronyn (Eagle, Idaho), Kate Tsourmas (Boise, Idaho), and Whitney Wakefield (Park City, Utah).

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
•    Oklahoma Baptist – The Lady Bisons are coming off a season that saw them go 24-12 in their final year as a member of the NAIA. OBU was picked to finish fourth in the Great American Conference and they return a senior class that includes Carey Strong, Kaitlyn Lucy, Cat Roth and Priscila Mendes. Mendes averaged a team-leading 2.55 kills per game last season. Lucy led the team with 44 aces and averaged 3.41 digs per game, while Roth and Strong brought a strong presence in support.

•    Embry-Riddle – The Eagles are also transitioning to a NCAA Division II conference this season, as they join the Sunshine State Conference. Emrby-Riddle won its sixth-straight Sun Conference championship last season after going 21-10 overall and 13-1 in the league. They return Evelina Abdurakhmanova who was second on the team with 316 kills last season. Tamires Ferreira is also back after leading the Eagles in assists (1,194) and aces (68) last season.

•    East Central – The Tigers were picked to finish 10th in the Great American Conference this season after posting a 6-24 record a year ago. ECU The Tigers return 13 of 14 players from a year ago, including all seven starters.  That group includes All-GAC Honorable Mention selections, seniors Hayley Gerken and Sarah Simpson.

•    Nova Southeastern – The Sharks are the host of this weekend's tournament and they are coming off a 2014 season in which they went 13-15. NSU has been selected to finish eighth in the 2015 Sunshine State Conference preseason poll. The Sharks will bring back a majority of its lineup from last season after graduating only one player. Two-time All-SSC honoree Sydney Cook returns for her final campaign to lead one of the most experienced teams in the league alongside fellow seniors Dana Holger and Caitlin Donahue.

OPENING WEEKEND
The Griffins have had success in the season's opening weekend over the past three years. Westminster has compiled a 9-4 record since 2012 in opening weekend tournaments and they have totaled three wins all three years. Last season, the Griffins posted a 3-2 start to the season.

RMAC PRESEASON POLL
Westminster was voted to finish tied for 15th in a poll of the league's coaches according to the poll that was announced by the conference office earlier this month. The Griffins earned 44 points in the poll which ranked eighth in the Rocky Division. Westminster tied with Western State Colorado for 15th position overall in the poll of the 16 league coaches. The Griffins are beginning their first year in the RMAC and will not be eligible for postseason play.

HORTON APPROACHING 500
Senior Alyse Horton begin the new season just 53 kills shy of 500 for her career. The senior ranks 10th in the school history for career kills and attempts. Horton has also tallied 489 digs as a Griffin to rank 12th in team history. She is close to becoming just the sixth player in school history with 500 kills and 500 digs.

GUSTAFSON CHASING 1,000
Taylor Gustafson recorded 890 assists as a freshman and begins 2015 just 11 away from becoming the fourth player in school history to reach 1,000 career assists. She had the third-most assists by a freshman in team history last season and the sixth-highest total overall.

GIVENS NEARING 400
Head Coach Al Givens begins his second season with the Griffins and his 30th season overall as head coach of a collegiate program. Givens starts the season just six wins shy of 400 for his career after guiding the team to a 10-18 mark last season.

UP NEXT
Westminster will spend next weekend in San Bernardino, Calif. where they will take part in the CSUSB Coyote Classic. The Griffins are slated for matches against Cal State East Bay and Cal State San Marcos on Sept. 11 before taking on Cal Poly Pomona and CSU Dominguez Hills on Sept. 12. All four matches will be played at Cal State San Bernardino.