Pictured: Freshman Gloria Levorin (Photo Credit: Richard Lewis)
STATS PACKAGE (PDF)
MIAMI, Fla. (Oct. 18, 2012) – The FIU volleyball team will embark on its final Sun Belt Conference road trip this weekend as the Panthers inch closer to the end of regular-season play. On Friday, Oct. 19, FIU will take on North Texas in Denton, Texas, at 7:30 p.m. ET, before traveling to Monroe, La., for a matchup with ULM on Sunday, Oct. 21, at 2 p.m. ET.
WEEKEND VIEWING INFORMATION – Live stats and a live video feed for Friday's match at North Texas can be accessed via the volleyball schedule page at www.MeanGreenSports.com. For Sunday's contest at ULM, live stats will be available on the volleyball schedule page at www.ULMWarhawks.com. Fans can also follow @FIUVolleyball on Twitter for updates throughout the weekend.
LAST TIME OUT – FIU went 0-2 in Sun Belt Conference play last weekend as the Panthers dropped 3-0 decisions to then-No. 20 WKU and Middle Tennessee on the road. For the weekend, senior Marija Prsa led the FIU offense with 38 kills (4.67 kps) and redshirt senior Renele Forde posted a team-leading 20 assists, while senior Ryanne Milligan chipped in with 19 assists, and freshman Ashlee Hodgskin recorded 18 assists. Defensively, sophomore Carolyn Fouts posted a squad-best 23 digs (3.83 dps) and junior Kimberly Smith led the Panther blocking corps with six blocks (1.00 bps). Prsa and junior Brittany Spencer added five stops apiece for the two matches.
PRSA PRESSES ON – Senior Marija Prsa reached the double-digit kill plateau at WKU and Middle Tennessee last weekend, and has now registered 10 or more kills in 13 outings this season, including in nine of the last 10 matches. Prsa leads FIU with 253 kills (3.56 kps) and 202 digs (2.85 dps) on the year, and her 2.79 career digs-per-set average ranks fourth in the FIU rally-scoring era (2001-present) record books.
PANTHER BLOCK PARTY – As of Oct. 17, FIU ranks second in the Sun Belt Conference in blocks, as the Panthers have registered 172.0 blocks for a per-set average of 2.42. Individually, junior Kimberly Smith has totaled 77.0 blocks (1.08 bps) to rank third in the league. For the season, FIU is out-blocking its opponents by a 172.0-157.0 margin.
SCOUTING NORTH TEXAS – The Mean Green bring a record of 18-9 (4-4 SBC) into the weekend, as NT has come up short in four of its last five contests. Offensively, NT is led by Carnae Dillard (350 kills, 3.72 kps) and May Allen (554 assists, 5.83 aps), who also owns a team-leading 23 service aces on the year. Defensively, NT leads the Sun Belt Conference in blocks (254.5, 2.68 bps), led by league leader Courtney Windham (137.0 blocks, 1.46 bps), while Shelby Tamura has notched a squad-best 443 digs (4.66 dps).
SERIES HISTORY VERSUS NORTH TEXAS – FIU leads the all-time series with NT by a 10-4 margin, and the Panthers have won the last four meetings with the Mean Green. A season ago, FIU defeated NT, 3-1, in Denton, Texas. (9/23/11).
SCOUTING ULM – The Warhawks are in the midst of an eight-match losing streak and bring a record of 4-13 (0-8 SBC) into the weekend. The ULM offense is led by Samantha Morse (153 kills, 3.00 kps) and Zuzana Markova (151 assists, 2.65 aps), and Tetiana Sukach owns a team-leading 16 service aces on the year. Defensively, Marcela Araya leads the Warhawks in the digs category (276, 4.84 dps), while Iren Marinova (58 blocks, 1.02 bps) spearheads ULM's blocking efforts.
SERIES HISTORY VERSUS ULM – FIU controls the all-time series with ULM, 6-1, as the Panthers have not dropped a match to the Warhawks since the two squads first met in 1984. Last season's lone meeting (11/4/11 in Monroe, La.) resulted in a straight-set victory for FIU.
NEXT UP – FIU will be back in action next weekend when the Panthers return to the friendly confines of U.S. Century Bank Arena to host nationally-ranked WKU (Oct. 26, 6:30 p.m.) and Middle Tennessee (Oct. 28, 1 p.m.). The contest versus the Hilltoppers will serve as FIU's annual Play Pink match. Stay tuned to www.FIUSports.com for more information.
KEEPING UP WITH THE PANTHERS – Fans can visit www.FIUSports.com, follow @FIUVolleyball on Twitter, and "Like" FIU volleyball on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/FIUVolleyball) for the latest Panther volleyball news. Follow all of FIU's 18 athletic teams on Google+ (FIU Athletics), Twitter (@FIUAthletics), Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSports), YouTube (FIUPanthers), Pinterest (FIUAthletics), and Instagram (FIUathletics).
About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports, and is a proud member of the Sun Belt Conference and an affiliate member of Conference USA (men's soccer). Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including U.S. Century Bank Arena and Alfonso Field at FIU Stadium.
About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. Its colleges and schools offer more than 180 bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU is worlds ahead in its local and global engagement, finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission and enrolls nearly 48,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. More than 140,000 alumni live and work in South Florida. FIU is a member of the Sun Belt Conference and has 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.
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