Photo credit: Alex Hernandez
MIAMI, Fla. (Oct. 2, 2012) – The Panther volleyball squad will make the short trip to Boca Raton, Fla., on Wednesday evening for a mid-week Sun Belt Conference contest, as FIU (4-12, 1-3 SBC) takes on Florida Atlantic (4-10, 0-4 SBC) at FAU Arena. First serve is slated for 6:30 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT: FIU went 0-2 in Sun Belt Conference action this past weekend as the Panthers fell to Troy (3-1) and South Alabama (3-0) on the road. Senior Marija Prsa led the FIU offense for the weekend (21 kills, 3.00 kps), while senior Ryanne Milligan registered a team-leading 30 assists (4.29 aps). Sophomore Carolyn Fouts posted squad-bests of 33 digs (4.71 dps) and four service aces across the two matches, as freshman Lucia Castro also recorded four aces. Sophomore Silvia Carli (10 blocks, 1.43 bps) and junior Kimberly Smith (9 blocks, 1.29 bps) led the Panther blocking corps for the weekend.
SCOUTING FAU: Florida Atlantic has lost five of its last six matches and the Owls are 4-10 (0-4 SBC) going into Wednesday's contest against FIU. Alessia Pizzocheri (181 kills, 3.18 kps) leads the FAU offense, while Jelena Jovanovic owns team-leading marks of 528 assists (9.26 aps) and 21 service aces (0.37 aps). Defensively, Sara Stoll (43 blocks, 0.83 bps) and Darija Sataric (42 blocks, 0.74 bps) spearhead the Owl blocking corps, and Cintia Nightingale has registered a squad-best 189 digs (3.32 dps) on the season. FAU is under the direction of first-year head coach Fernanda Nelson (National America, 2003).
SERIES HISTORY VERSUS FAU: FAU controls the all-time series with FIU, 24-21, a record which excludes a 2003 Panther victory later vacated due to NCAA sanctions. The Panthers have won 12-straight contests in the series, including a pair of 3-0 wins over the Owls a season ago.
NEXT UP: FIU will return to action on Friday, Oct. 5, when the Panthers host Sun Belt Conference foe Louisiana at U.S. Century Bank Arena. First serve is set for 6:30 p.m.
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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