WALTHAM, Mass. – It'll be a challenging opening weekend for the Bentley University women's volleyball team with four matches scheduled in two days as part of the six-team Bentley Invitational that will be contested at the Dana Center Friday and Saturday.

Bentley, which graduated six of the top eight from last year's NCAA Division II East Regional semifinal team, will open the 2015 campaign against powerful Florida Southern, the number 17 team nationally preseason, at 10 am.

After attending the wake for Hall of Fame coach Sandy Hoffman, Bentley's head coach from 1982-2013, Friday afternoon, it will be back to the court that evening with a 6:30 contest against LIU Post, another NCAA tournament team a year ago. The action will continue Saturday with Bentley facing Minnesota Crookston at 10 am and Chestnut Hill at 6:30.

Joey Pacis, now in his second year as Bentley's head coach after succeeding Hoffman in August 2014, likes what he has seen so far in the preseason. "We have early chemistry despite having a new team personality with the six gone. Our four seniors are stepping up to provide leadership."

Among those seniors are two who were regulars in Pacis' rotation last year, second-team All-Northeast-10 outside hitter Jaci Buscher (Lakewood, Colo./Green Mountain HS) and defensive specialist Jessica Segal (West Harrison, N.Y./Harrison HS). Buscher, a repeater on the Academic All-Conference team, was the first Falcon since 2007 to average at least 2.5 kills and 2.8 digs. Segal, who has played every set Bentley has played over the last three falls (333), will take over the libero duties during her final season after amassing nearly 300 digs last year.

The other two seniors, six-foot-two Shelby Kreienberg (Pittsford, N.Y./Pittsford Mendon HS) and former outside hitter Stephanie Metzger (Georgetown, Texas/Liberty Hill HS), will be among the players vying for increased playing time this fall. Metzger, who saw very limited action over her first three seasons, has impressed during the preseason after being moved to the middle. She is expected to start this weekend.

The returnees also include juniors Lauren Van Buren (Massapequa Park, N.Y/Massapequa HS) , Ashley Latimer (Croton on Hudson, N.Y./Croton Harmon HS) and Shannon Kelly (Hyde Park, N.Y./ Franklin D. Roosevelt HS). Van Buren, a member of last year's NE-10 All-Rookie team, looks to be back in form after shedding the knee brace she played with in 2014 as the result of an injury suffered early in her freshman year. Kelly served 34 aces, most among the returnees, and made 208 digs last season while appearing in all but five sets. Latimer hit .215, second best among the 2014 Falcons, while spelling a veteran group of hitters.

Bentley will be young at the all-important setter position, vacated by the graduation of All-Conference honoree Alex Tator. Vying for playing time are junior Allie Rotkin (Cumming, Ga./Milton HS) and freshman Krista Campbell (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North HS). Rotkin has been in only two matches during her first two seasons.

Also in the hunt for playing time will be sophomores McKenna Buck (Renton, Wash./Holy Names HS), Celia Cristofoli (Hudson, Ohio/Hudson HS) and Isabella Perez (Lafayette, Calif./Carondelet HS), along with freshmen Alex Hernandez (Tokyo, Japan/American School in Japan) and Tori Philbrick (Carlsbad, Calif./Carlsbad HS).

After playing at home this weekend, Bentley will travel to Texas for four matches next weekend in the Emerald Bay Hotel Javelina Invitational at Texas A&M Kingsville.