Photo Credit: Alex Hernandez

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (Nov. 14, 2012) – Senior Marija Prsa has been named All-Sun Belt Conference Second Team, as voted on by the league's head coaches and announced at the 2012 SBC Volleyball Championship Banquet on Wednesday evening. The honor marks the first of its kind for Prsa's career.

Prsa has had a phenomenal final season in a Panther uniform, reaching the double-digit kill plateau in 20 of 28 matches and registering 11 double-doubles. The outside hitter is finishing the season strong, having posted 10-or-more kills in 16 of the last 17 contests, and she currently owns 21 career double-doubles.

A native of Sisak, Croatia, Prsa has totaled a team-leading 360 kills (3.60 kps) in 2012 to rank fourth in the Sun Belt Conference. She ranks second on the team in digs (259, 2.59 dps), and has also contributed 50 blocks, including seven solo stops (0.50 bps). Prsa has posted career highs of 25 kills and 23 digs, each on two occasions, over her senior campaign, and she tied a career high with four blocks versus Middle Tennessee (10/28). Additionally, the outside hitter has tallied a season-high three block assists seven times, and hit at a season-high clip of .417 versus Florida Gulf Coast (8/25), registering 25 kills against five errors in 48 total attempts.

FIU (10-18, 7-8 SBC) begins action at the 2012 SBC Volleyball Championship on Thursday, Nov. 15, when the eighth-seeded Panthers take on top-seeded WKU (29-3, 15-0 SBC). First serve is slated for 6 p.m. ET.

The 2012 Sun Belt Conference Volleyball Championship is slated for Nov. 15-17, at E.A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, Ky. The tournament semifinals will be held Saturday, Nov. 16, at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., with the championship match set for 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 16. All matches will be streamed live for free via SunBeltSports.org, and the championship match will be available nationally on ESPN3.

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), and Instagram (FIUathletics).

2012 SBC First Team All-Conference
Edina Begic (UALR, Sophomore, OH)
Allison Kearney (Arkansas State, Senior, S)
Carnae Dillard (North Texas, Freshman, OH)
Courtney Windham (North Texas, Junior, OH)
Ashley Potts (WKU, Junior, DS)
Jordyn Skinner (WKU, Senior, OH)
Melanie Stutsman (WKU, Junior, S)
Paige Wessel (WKU, RS-Junior, OH)

2012 SBC Second Team All-Conference
Megan Baska (Arkansas State, Junior, DS/L)
Marija Prsa (FIU, Senior, OH)
Mandi Gavin (Louisiana-Lafayette, Senior, S)
Chelsea Ross (Middle Tennessee, Freshman, OH)
Alexandra Alexander (Troy, Junior, S)
Blair Winston (Troy, Freshman, OH)
Heather Boyan (WKU, Sophomore, MH)
Noelle Langenkamp (WKU, Freshman, MH)

SBC Player of the Year: Edina Begic (UALR, Sophomore, OH)

SBC Defensive Player of the Year: Ashley Potts (WKU, Junior, DS)

SBC Freshman of the Year: Carnae Dillard (North Texas, Freshman, OH)

SBC Coach of the Year: Travis Hudson, WKU

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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