Pictured: Senior Ryanne Milligan (Credit: Richard Lewis)
MATCH NOTES (PDF) -- FIU AT TROY / SOUTH ALABAMA (SEPT. 28 & 30)
MIAMI (Sept. 27, 2012) -- The FIU volleyball squad will travel to Alabama this weekend for its first Sun Belt Conference road trip of the season, as the Panthers take on the Troy Trojans on Friday, Sept. 28 (8 p.m. ET) and the South Alabama Jaguars on Sunday, Sept. 30 (2 p.m. ET). Live stats for both matches and a live video feed of Friday's contest at Troy can be accessed by visiting the volleyball schedule page at www.FIUSports.com. Fans can also follow @FIUVolleyball on Twitter for live updates throughout the weekend.
LAST TIME OUT: The Panthers opened up Sun Belt Conference play last weekend at U.S. Century Bank Arena, as FIU fell to UALR in five sets before sweeping Arkansas State. Senior Marija Prsa registered team-leading marks of 35 kills and 28 digs for the weekend, reaching double-digits in each category in both contests to mark her fifth and sixth double-double of the season. Freshman Ashlee Hodgskin posted 69 assists (8.62 aps) and notched her first-career double-double on the strength of 50 assists and a career-high-tying 16 digs against UALR. Junior Brittany Spencer led the FIU blocking corps for the weekend, recording 12 total blocks (1.50 bps), including a career-high two solo stops against the Trojans, and a career-high seven blocks versus Arkansas State.
FIU IN THE SBC RANKINGS: Through matches played on Tuesday, Sept. 25, FIU ranks fourth in the Sun Belt Conference in the blocks-per-set category (107.0 blocks, 2.18 bps) and fifth in service aces (62 aces, 1.27 aps). Individually, senior Marija Prsa ranks fourth in the league in kills (174 kills, 3.55 kps)
SCOUTING TROY: The Trojans bring an overall record of 10-7 and a 1-1 Sun Belt Conference mark into Friday's match, as Troy fell to nationally-ranked WKU, 3-0, in its league opener before sweeping Middle Tennessee, 3-0, last weekend. Leading the Troy offense are Brenna Cullity (155 kills, 2.63 kps) and Blair Winston (154 kills, 2.75 kps), while Alexandra Alexander owns a team-leading 530 assists (8.69 aps), and Devin Von Pingel and Kelley Curran has served up a squad-best 12 service aces apiece. Defensively, Courtney Cohen has registered 295 digs (4.84) for a team-high, and Cullity has posted 62 total blocks (1.05 bps), including 12 solo stops.
A GLANCE AT SOUTH ALABAMA: Going into this weekend, the Jaguars are 8-8 overall and 1-1 in Sun Belt Conference action following a 3-2 win over Middle Tennessee and a 3-0 loss to WKU a week ago. Savannah Stewart owns team-leading marks of 171 kills (2.85 kps) and 17 service aces (0.28 aps), and Katariina Kananen has posted a squad-best 474 assists (8.78 aps). Defensively, Jenna Hassell has registered 265 digs (4.42 dps) for a team-high, while Olivia Mohler leads the USA blocking corps (52 blocks, 0.87 bps).
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).
FULL MATCH NOTES AVAILABLE ABOVE (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/.
--- www.FIUSports.com ---
