HACKENSACK, N.J. -- The Fairleigh Dickinson women's volleyball team will play the second of its three preseason tournaments this weekend at the Lafayette College Tournament in Easton, Pa. The Knights will square off with in-state rival Saint Peter's on Friday, Aug. 31, at 3 p.m. before Saturday's matches against Delaware State at noon and Lafayette at 5 p.m.

FDU (1-4) is coming off a heartbreaking 3-2 loss at Rider on Wednesday. After dropping the first two sets, the Knights forced a decisive fifth set with wins in sets three and four. Then with the score tied at 10-10 in the fifth, Rider claimed five of the last eight points for the win.

Head Coach Stacey Recanati's young team is being led my senior captain Meaghan Wheeler (Chatsworth, CA/Chaminade College Prep), who leads the team with 82 kills through five matches. Wheeler currently ranks second in FDU history with 1,439 kills. She is 67 away from tying Lauren Boothby's mark of 1,506.

Last year at the same tournament, FDU went 3-0 with wins over Rider, Saint Peter's and Lafayette.

Saint Peter's (1-3) took down North Carolina A&T 3-1 for the Peacock's first win of the season on Aug. 24. Since then, they have dropped matches to Western Carolina and Providence, a team FDU beat 3-2 earlier in the season.

Laura Reinhart has recorded a team-best 43 kills for Saint Peter's, which has a hitting percentage of .124. Defensively, Kassi Wirth leads the Peacocks with three solo blocks and four block assists.

Delaware State (0-3) did not win a set in its opening tournament at UNC Wilmington on Aug. 24 and 25. The Hornets started with a season-opening loss to Northeast Conference power LIU Brooklyn. The following day, they dropped 3-0 decisions to UNC Wilmington and High Point.

Highlights for the Hornets include 23 kills by Jessica Russell-Croucherk and 55 assists from Christobel Fakaosi through three matches.

The Leopards (2-0) are off to a fast start with a home win over Rider and another on the road at St. Francis NY. Lafayette has benefited from a .237 hitting percentage while holding opponents to a .134 clip. Four Leopards have compiled double-digit kills, including Camissa Beghou with 24.

Following the matches in Easton, Pa., FDU will return to the Metropolitan area to face Fordham in the Bronx, N.Y. on Tuesday, Sept. 4, at 7 p.m.