Photo Credit: Roy Viera
Gamecock Invitational Tournament Central (Live Stats)
GamecocksOnline.com (Live Video)
Conference USA Volleyball Notebook (Week 1 - PDF)
2013 FIU Volleyball Media Information Guide (PDF)
MIAMI (August 29, 2013) – The FIU volleyball team will open the 2013 season this weekend at the Gamecock Invitational in Columbia, S.C. On Friday, Aug. 30, the Panthers will take on High Point at 1 p.m. before going up against host South Carolina at 7 p.m. FIU closes out tournament action on Saturday, Aug. 31, at 11 a.m. versus South Carolina State.
Keeping Up with the Panthers
Live stats (Gametracker) will be available for all Gamecock Invitational matches, and can be accessed HERE. Additionally, Friday's 7 p.m. match featuring FIU versus South Carolina can be watched live via GamecocksOnline.com. The live video stream is free of charge and can be accessed HERE. Fans can also follow all the action live on Twitter (@FIUVolleyball).
A Glance at High Point
HPU is coming off a 2012 campaign in which the Panthers went 20-11 overall and 9-5 Big South Conference play. Under the direction of Head Coach Jason Oliver for the sixth season, HPU returns eight letterwinners, and four starters, including 2012 category leaders senior setter Maddie Simpson (1117 assists, 9.88 aps) and sophomore libero Annemarie Chin (438, 3.68 dps).
Series History: Friday's contest marks the first-ever meeting between HPU and FIU.
Scouting South Carolina
USC compiled an overall record of 18-14 while going 6-14 in SEC action in 2012. Third-year Head Coach Scott Swanson returns five letterwinners and two starters from that squad, including senior outside hitter Juliette Thevenin, who led the Gamecocks in kills as a junior (453, 4.31 kps), and sophomore middle blocker/right side Darian Dozier, who registered a team-leading 67 blocks (0.70 bps) last season.
Series History: USC and FIU will square off for the first time in each program's history on Friday night.
A Look at South Carolina State
SCSU is fresh off a 2012 campaign in which the Bulldogs went 9-15 overall and 6-4 in MEAC matches. First-year Head Coach Valerie Jones will see six letterwinners and five starters return, including last season's category leaders in kills (senior outside hitter Desire Waller – 381, 4.95 kps) and assists (sophomore setter Melanie Williams – 800, 9.09 aps).
Series History: FIU is a perfect 3-0 against SCSU all-time, winning all three meetings by 3-0 scores, including the last meeting between the two squads on Oct. 11, 1997.
New Territory
The 2013 campaign marks FIU's inaugural season of competition in Conference USA. The Panthers were picked to finish ninth in the 2013 Conference USA Preseason Volleyball Poll, while Rice was predicted to come away with this year's C-USA title. Three-time defending C-USA regular season champion Tulsa and UTSA tied for second place.
What's Returning
FIU returns eight letterwinners, including five starters, from a 2012 squad that went 10-20 overall and 7-8 in Sun Belt Conference action. Middle blocker Kimberly Smith returns for her senior campaign after leading the team in total blocks (105, 1.00 bps) and ranking second in kills (242, 2.30 kps) a season ago. Sophomore setter Ashlee Hodgskin returns after leading the Panthers in assists (513, 7.43 aps), while sophomore right side/outside hitter Lucia Castro (234 kills, 185 digs, 23 service aces) and sophomore right side/middle blocker Gloria Levorin (171 kills, 90 blocks) also return for the Panthers as major contributors from a year ago.
Fresh Faces
FIU welcomes 10 newcomers to the ranks this season and is under new, yet familiar, leadership, as Assistant Athletic Director/Head Sand Volleyball Coach Rita Buck-Crockett takes over the reins of the Panthers' indoor program. Buck-Crockett, a two-time Olympian, will be joined on the sidelines by first-year Associate Head Coach Felix Hou, second-year Assistant Coach Travers Green, and first-year Volunteer Coach Alvaro Sanchez.
Next Up
FIU returns to Miami next weekend to host the FIU Classic, held Sept. 5-7 at U.S. Century Bank Arena. The Panthers will take on Houston Baptist in the 2013 home opener on Thursday, Sept. 5, at 5 p.m., before facing Alabama on Friday, Sept. 6 (3 p.m.), and UNCW on Saturday, Sept. 7 (6 p.m.). Tickets can be purchased by calling 305-FIUGAME or by logging on to FIUSports.com. A complete tournament schedule can be viewed HERE.
#PantherNation – #FIU Social Media
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.
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/
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