MIAMI (Oct. 9, 2013) – The FIU volleyball squad hosts two Conference USA opponents this weekend, first welcoming UAB at 6 p.m. on Friday, while Tulsa and the Panthers will square off on Sunday at 1 p.m. Both matches are slated to take place on Lime Court at US Century Bank Arena.
Keeping Up with the Panthers
Live stats will be available for both of this weekend's matches and can be accessed via the FIU volleyball schedule page at FIUSports.com. A free live video stream for all FIU matches will be available via PantherVision, by clicking
HERE, and fans can also follow the action on Twitter (@FIUVolleyball).
Last Time Out
The Panthers are coming off a road trip to Texas, where they fell to UTSA, 3-0 (25-16, 25-23, 25-19), and UTEP, 3-0 (29-27, 25-15, 26-24), to bring their season record to 7-9 (1-3 C-USA). Senior
Kimberly Smith and redshirt junior
Ksenia Sukhareva led the Panthers against UTSA with nine kills apiece, while Smith also had a .400 hitting percentage, committing just one error on 20 attempts. Sukhareva and junior
Martyna Gluchowicz had a squad-high seven digs each.
On Sunday, redshirt junior
Jessica Egan recorded a season-high and team-best 33 assists. Sophomore
Adriana McLamb notched a squad-high seven digs in the Panther's loss.
For the season, Sukhareva (173 kills, 2.98 kps) and Smith (173 kills, 3.09 kps) lead the Panther offense, while junior
Jessica Mendoza owns team-leading marks of 190 digs (3.22 dps) and service aces (12). Smith also leads the FIU defense with 64 total blocks (1.14 bps).
A Look at UAB
With Kerry Messersmith at the helm for her eight season, the Blazers are 13-7 (2-2 C-USA), with a 3-3 record on the road. UAB comes to Miami after losing, 3-1 (25-20,18-25,18-25,23-25), to Middle Tennessee last Sunday. The Blazer offense is spearheaded by Sam Skinner (278 kills, 4.15 kps) and Sara Rishell (237 kills, 3.16 kps), while Becca Howard leads her team in assists (847, 11.29 aps). Rachel Fairbanks has a team-best 368 digs (4.91 dps), while Kiriana Hirini bests the team in blocks (95 blocks, 1.27 bps), along with Ally Slaughter and Fairbanks tied with 21 service aces apiece.
Series History
This will be the first match in Division I play between FIU and UAB.
Scouting the Golden Hurricane
Under the direction of Steven McRoberts for the past three seasons, Tulsa comes to Miami with a 14-4 record (3-3 C-USA), which is good for second within the conference. Leading the way for the Golden Hurricane is Kellie Culberston (247 kills, 3.43 kps) and Erica Bohannon (189 kills, 2.73 kps), along with Bailey Clampitt, who has a team-best 545 digs (7.57 dps). Culberstone also leads Tulsa with 40 service aces and is second on the squad with 313 digs (4.35 dps). Brooke Berryhill (324 digs, 4.50) leads the Golden Hurricane in that category, while Carly Boatwright leads the team in blocks (40 blocks, 0.69 bps).
Series History
FIU is 1-0 all-time against Tulsa, winning 3-2 in 2001.
Next Up
FIU next hosts a set of midweek matches, welcoming FGCU and Florida Atlantic on Oct. 15 and Oct. 18, respectively. First serve is set for 6 p.m for both games.
Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Twitter (@FIUVolleyball) and become a fan on Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUVolleyball) for all the latest FIU 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). The official FIU Athletics hashtag for the 2013-14 athletics year is #PantherNation.
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About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. 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 bachelor¹s, master¹s and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida¹s 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. FIU has awarded 200,000 degrees and enrolls 50,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/
