Pictured: Freshman Lucia Castro (Photo Credit: Richard Lewis)
MIAMI, Fla. (Nov. 5, 2012) – The FIU volleyball squad (8-17, 5-8 SBC) will make a short trip to Ft. Myers, Fla., on Tuesday evening for a non-conference matchup at Florida Gulf Coast (20-8, 15-1 ASC). First serve is slated for 7 p.m. at FGCU's Alico Arena. Live stats and live video for Tuesday's match can be accessed via the volleyball schedule page at www.FIUSports.com, or by visiting www.FGCUAthletics.com.
LAST TIME OUT – FIU is coming off a 3-0 sweep of Sun Belt Conference and local rival Florida Atlantic. Senior Marija Prsa registered her 10th double-double of the season and the 20th of her career versus the Owls, posting a team-leading 15 kills and 10 digs, as she has now reached the double-digit kill plateau in 17 matches this season, including in 13 of the last 15 contests. Freshman Ashlee Hodgskin tallied a team-high 33 assists and senior Ryanne Milligan posted a squad-best and career-high-tying three service aces in the victory. Milligan also led the FIU defense with 17 digs, and freshman Gloria Levorin recorded four blocks, including her fourth-career solo stop, to lead the Panther blocking corps. As a team, FIU hit .294 against the Owls, compared to a .053 attack percentage for FAU. The Panthers out-blocked the Owls, 7.0-5.0, and also won the digs battle by a 54-40 margin.
SCOUTING FLORIDA GULF COAST – The Eagles have won 16 of their last 17 matches and currently sit atop the Atlantic Sun Conference standings with an overall record of 20-8 and a league ledger of 15-1. The FGCU offense is led by Jill Hopper (278 kills, 2.90 kps) and Gigi Meyer (588 assists, 5.88 aps), while Hopper also leads the team in service aces with 34 (0.35 aps). Defensively, the Eagles are led by Whitney Masters (352 digs, 3.53 dps) and Olivia Mesner (103 blocks, 1.03 bps).
SERIES HISTORY – FIU controls the all-time series with FGCU by a 5-1 mark, as the Panthers dropped their first-ever decision to the Eagles earlier this season. On Aug. 25, FGCU defeated FIU, 3-2, at the Campus USA Credit Union Invite in Gainesville, Fla.
NEXT UP – FIU will be back in action this weekend when the Panthers host Sun Belt Conference opponents Troy and South Alabama on Friday and Saturday, respectively. The contest versus the Trojans will serve as Go Green Night, while the match against the Jaguars will mark Senior Night, as four seniors enjoy their final match in the friendly confines of U.S. Century Bank Arena. First serve for both contests is slated 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), 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/.
--- www.FIUSports.com ---
