Pictured: Senior Renele Forde (Photo Credit: Sam Lewis)
MATCH NOTES (PDF) -- FIU VS. UALR / ARKANSAS STATE (SEPT. 21 & 23 -- MIAMI, FLA.)
MIAMI, Fla. (Sept. 20, 2012) -- FIU will begin Sun Belt Conference play this weekend as the Panthers welcome UALR and Arkansas State to U.S. Century Bank Arena on Friday, Sept. 21, and Sunday, Sept. 23, respectively. First serve versus the Trojans is set for 6:30 p.m., while the contest with the Red Wolves will begin at 1 p.m. Live stats and a live video feed of both matches can be accessed at www.FIUSports.com, and fans can follow @FIUVolleyball on Twitter for live updates throughout the weekend.
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).
Last Time Out
FIU went 1-3 at last weekend's USF Tournament in Tampa, Fla., as the Panthers swept Bethune-Cookman, 3-0, before falling to James Madison, 3-1, and USF, 3-0. Senior Marija Prsa (32 kills, 3.20 kps), freshman Lucia Castro(31 kills, 3.10 kps) and junior Kimberly Smith (27 kills, 2.70 kps) led the Panther offense for the weekend, while freshman Ashlee Hodgskin registered a team-leading 93 assists (9.30 aps). Senior Ryanne Milligan posted squad-best marks of 40 digs (4.00 dps) and three service aces (0.30 aps), and Prsa chipped in with 34 digs (3.40 dps). Freshman Gloria Levorin (11 blocks, 1.10 bps) and junior Brittany Spencer (10 blocks, 1.00 bps) led the FIU blocking corps, as Spencer enjoyed her first-career start against B-CU.
Defending "The Bank"
FIU is a strong force to reckon with on its home court as the Panthers own a record of 65-12 since 2005 when playing in the friendly confines of the U.S. Century Bank Arena (formerly known as Pharmed Arena). The Panthers have not dropped more than three contests at home in a season during that time period, and are coming off a 2011 campaign in which they compiled a record of 9-3 at U.S. Century Bank Arena.
Can You Dig It?
Versus James Madison (9/15) at the USF Tournament in Tampa, Fla., FIU saw a season-high four players reach the double-digit digs plateau. Senior Ryanne Milligan led the Panthers with a career-high 22 digs, while senior Marija Prsa added 18 digs, freshman Ashlee Hodgskin chipped in with a career-best 16 digs, and sophomorePaola Ortiz registered a career-high 12 digs. As a team, FIU tallied a season-best 90 digs against the Dukes.
Scouting UALR
The Trojans are 4-8 (0-0 SBC) on the year, having lost three of their last four contests. Edina Begic leads UALR in the kills (261, 5.33 kps) and service ace (18, 0.37 aps) departments, while Marleen de Zoete has registered a team-high 526 assists (10.73 aps). Adisa Hodzic (53 blocks, 1..08 bps) and Daniele Souza Moura (47 blocks, 0.96 bps) lead the Trojan defense, and Emily Pepperman owns a team-leading 202 digs (4.12 dps). Friday's match will mark the Sun Belt Conference opener for FIU and UALR.
A Glance at Arkansas State
The Red Wolves bring an overall record of 9-6 (0-0 SBC) into the weekend, having won five of their last six matches. Jasmine Terry (171 kills, 3.29 kps) and Allison Kearney (582 assists, 10.90 aps) lead the ASU offense, while Megan Baska leads the team in service aces with 13 (0.24 aps). Defensively, the Red Wolves are led by Baska (234 digs, 4.22 dps), Kelsie Hodges (40 blocks, 0.74 bps) and Ashley Tipps (34 blocks, 0.79 bps). ASU will open its Sun Belt Conference campaign at Florida Atlantic on Friday before visiting FIU on Sunday.
FULL MATCH NOTES ATTACHED (PDF)
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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