FIU Notes 

MIAMI (Nov. 11, 2014) - FIU (6-22, 3-12) enters the final week of the regular season with a non-conference match at in-state rival Florida Gulf Coast (17-9, 10-2 A-Sun). First serve is set for 7 p.m. ET.
 
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The Panthers posted an 0-2 record last week that included back-to-back heartbreaking losses at UTEP and UTSA. With the two tough road losses, FIU has officially been eliminated from the conference tournament.
 
In FIU's two matches last week, the Panthers averaged 11.89 kills-per-set with a .235 hitting percentage. For the season, FIU is hitting .156 as a team, while averaging 11.27 kills-per-set, 10.38 assists-per-set, 1.00 aces-per-set, 15.15 digs-per-set and 2.24 blocks-per-set. The Panthers are third in the league with 2.24 blocks-per-set following their 19-block week in the two matches. FIU also ranks seventh in C-USA with 15.13 digs-per-set.
 
With three-straight matches with 17 kills, FIU outside hitter Lucia Castro has now registered 884 career-kills. Castro has garnered five-straight double-digit kill figures and three-consecutive double-doubles. She continues to climb up FIU's career-kills ladder as she needs 33 (16.5 kills-per-match) more to sneak into the top 10. This season, Castro has 333 kills in 28 matches and is averaging 3.17 kills-per-set to rank ninth in the conference.
 
Junior middle blocker Gloria Levorin leads the Panther blocking defense posting 0.92 blocks-per-set. She is also second on the team with 2.10 kills-per-set and third with 19 service (0.18 sa/s) aces on the season. In conference play, Levorin averages 2.32 kills-per-set, a .231 hitting percentage and 0.91 blocks-per-set.
Freshman middle blocker Jennifer Ene continues to make her presence known on the front row. The Carrolton, Texas native leads the Panthers in conference play with a .309 hitting percentage, while posting 2.21 kills-per-set to rank second on the team. She also ranks second on the squad with 44 blocks (0.77 bps) in C-USA action.
 
SCOUTING THE FLORIDA GULF COAST EAGLES
Florida Gulf Coast enters the final week of the season with a 17-9 overall record, whole posting a 10-2 mark against its Atlantic Sun opponents. The Eagles have won 12 of their last 14 matches, including three straight to notch a first place ranking in the A-Sun. FGCU enters the match leading the A-Sun with 13.47 kills-per-set and 12.87 assists-per-set. The Eagles also average a .209 hitting percentage to rank second in the league.
 
Individually, Florida Gulf Coast is led by Eleonora Kazarian, Olivia Mesner, Jessica Barnes and Vanessa Benke who all average over three kills per set. Kazarian leads the way with 3.28 kills-per-set, followed by Mesner with 3.25 kills-per-set. Barnes and Benke round out the Eagle offensive attack with 3.15 and 3.14 kills-per-set, respectively.  Mesner also notches a .366 hitting percentage to lead the A-Sun. Defensively, Whitney Masters averages 4.21 digs-per-set to lead the Eagles and rank third in the conference.
 
Wednesday's match will mark the ninth meeting all-time between the two schools. After FIU began the series back in 2007 winning five-straight, Florida Gulf Coast has taken the last three matches. Last year, the Eagles posted a 3-2 win in Miami.  
 
NEXT UP
This weekend the Panthers will return to FIU Arena for its final home match of the season. FIU will host the Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters on Sunday, Nov. 16, with first serve scheduled for 1 p.m. ET. It will be the final match for seniors Kristine Monforte and Martyna Gluchowicz as well as junior Tina Toghiyani. FIU will honor the seniors in a ceremony prior to the start of the match.
 
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).
 
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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 FIU Arena and Ocean BankField at FIU Stadium.
 
About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offers 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 contributes $9.8 billion each year to the local economy. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded over 200,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has over 4-00 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.