Photo Credit: Richard Lewis

FIU STATS PACKAGE (PDF)

MIAMI, Fla. (Oct. 25, 2012) – The Panther volleyball squad will host a pair of Sun Belt Conference foes at U.S. Century Bank Arena this weekend, as FIU (7-15, 4-6 SBC) welcomes No. 19 WKU (24-3, 10-0 SBC) and Middle Tennessee (7-20, 4-6 SBC) to Miami. On Friday, Oct. 26, the Panthers will take on the nationally-ranked Hilltoppers in FIU's annual Play Pink match with first serve set for 6:30 p.m. Sunday's showdown with the Blue Raiders is slated for a 1 p.m. start.

WEEKEND VIEWING INFORMATION – Panther fans unable to attend this weekend's matches in Miami can tune into PantherVision for a free live video feed of each contest. For more information, log onto FIUSports.com and access "Live Events" from the "Multimedia" tab. Live stats will also be available via FIUSports.com, and fans can follow @FIUVolleyball on Twitter for live updates.

LAST TIME OUT – FIU went 2-0 in SBC play last weekend as the Panthers defeated North Texas, 3-0, and ULM, 3-1, on the road to improve to 7-15 overall and 4-6 in league action. Senior Marija Prsa led the FIU offense (27 kills, 3.86 kps), while redshirt senior Renele Forde registered a team-leading 61 assists, and sophomore Carolyn Fouts and freshman Lucia Castro tallied a squad-best four service aces apiece. Defensively, the Panthers were led by senior Ryanne Milligan (25 digs, 3.57 dps) and junior Brittany Spencer (10 blocks, 1.43 bps).

PRSA PRESSES ON – Senior Marija Prsa reached the double-digit kill plateau at North Texas and ULM last weekend, and has now registered 10-or-more kills in 15 outings this season, including in 11 of the last 12 matches. Prsa leads FIU with 280 kills (3.59 kps) and 214 digs (2.74 dps) on the year, and her 2.75 career digs-per-set average ranks fourth in the FIU rally-scoring era (2001-present) record books. Prsa registered her ninth double-double of the season and the 19th of her career versus the Warhawks on Oct. 21, posting 11 kills and 10 digs.

PANTHER BLOCK PARTY – As of Oct. 25, FIU ranks second in the SBC in blocks, as the Panthers have registered 193.5 stops for a per-set average of 2.48, led by junior Kimberly Smith (86.0 blocks, 1.10 bps) who ranks third in the league in the category. The FIU blocking corps came out in full force against North Texas on Oct. 19, as the Panthers out-blocked the Mean Green, 14.5-6.0. Junior Brittany Spencer posted a team-high six blocks in the match, while Smith, redshirt senior Renele Forde, and freshmen Lucia Castro and Gloria Levorin each added five blocks. For the season, FIU is out-blocking its opponents by a 193.5-175.0 margin. The Panthers' registered a season-high 16 blocks against Louisiana on Oct. 5, and have reached double digits in blocks in eight matches in 2012.

SCOUTING WKU – Nationally-ranked WKU has won 16-straight matches and boasts an overall record of 24-3, a mark which includes an undefeated SBC ledger of 10-0. Three Hilltoppers have tallied more than 200 kills on the season, as WKU leads the conference with a kills-per-set average of 14.02 and a team attack percentage of .294. Melanie Stutsman has recorded a league-leading 998 assists (11.09 aps), while Jordyn Skinner (26) and Sarah Rogers (26) lead the Hilltoppers in the service ace category. The WKU defense is led by Ashley Potts (410 digs, 4.56 dps) and Heather Boyan (75 blocks, 0.83 bps).

SERIES HISTORY VERSUS WKU – WKU leads the all-time series with FIU, 26-7, as the Hilltoppers have won seven-straight in the series. The most recent meeting between the two squads took place earlier this season on Oct. 12, with WKU coming way with a 3-0 victory in Bowling Green, Ky.

SCOUTING MIDDLE TENNESSEE – The Blue Raiders have lost three-straight matches, including a pair of conference contests, and are 7-20 overall and 4-6 in SBC play heading into the weekend. The MT offense is led by Chelsea Ross (416 kills, 4.12 kps) and Shelby Anderton (841 assists, 8.41 aps), while Ross also leads the team in service aces (22). Defensively, the Blue Raiders are led by Bri McCombs (397 digs, 3.93 dps) and Tyler Richardson (125 blocks, 1.26 bps).

SERIES HISTORY VERSUS MIDDLE TENNESSEE – Middle Tennessee leads the all-time series with FIU, 21-7. A season ago, the Blue Raiders swept the Panthers, 3-0, in both regular-season contests. In the teams' first meeting in 2012, MT again came away with a 3-0 victory (Oct. 13 in Murfreesboro, Tenn.).

NEXT UP – FIU will be back in action next weekend when the Panthers host SBC and local rival Florida Atlantic on Saturday, Nov. 3. First serve versus the Owls is slated for 6 p.m. at U.S. Century Bank Arena. The match will serve as Volleyball Club Night, and students in attendance will receive double Panther Points, with first 50 students receiving an FIU drawstring bag and post-match autographs.

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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