Eastern’s volleyball team will have its plate full this weekend when it travels to Columbia, Mo., for the Quality Inn Tiger Invitational.

The Panthers (3-3) will play four games in two days at the University of Missouri in their third tournament in as many weeks. Their schedule begins at 9 a.m. today against Arkansas-Little Rock (3-2). At 4:30 p.m., Eastern will then take on North Carolina State (1-8). On Saturday Eastern will play San Diego State (3-4) and their host Missouri (6-1).

The Trojans from Little Rock are first up against Eastern.

The Trojans offense pales compared to Eastern’s, but on defense they earn the edge. They have three players averaging a block a game or better. Ivana Kuzmic averages 1.9 blocks per game, Alexandria Hepburn follows with 1.11 and Maialla Hurga completes the trifecta with an average of one block per game.

On offense Kuzmic leads the team with 2.85 kills per game and is just one of three players that average more than two kills a game. Eastern on the other hand has three players with a higher average then Kuzmic (senior outside hitter Karen Liss 3.28, sophomore outside hitter Erica Gerth 3.2, and Senior outside hitter Jennifer Fisher 2.96).

NC State, Eastern’s second opponent, is off to a slow start this season.

The Wolfpack lost their first eight matches of the season before breaking the losing streak against High Point in a 5-game match. Five of the eight losses were quick three-game matches.

Despite their rough start, the Wolfpack has some very efficient attackers. Amy Cochran (.260), Maya Mapp (.250) and Sarah Ensminge (.236) lead the team in attack percentage.

San Diego is an aggressive offensive team. The Aztecs have three players averaging three kills or better per game. Rochelle Currier averages 3.17 kills per game followed closely by Zlatina Anguelova (3.08) and Aspen McPartland (3).

Eastern’s host, Missouri, has been hot this season. The tigers won their first three matches before dropping a match to Oregon, but have since won four in a row.

The Tigers have posted impressive numbers with 17.43 kills per game, a .296 attack percentage, 16.13 digs per game and 2.7 blocks per game.