MIAMI (Sept. 15, 2015) -- The FIU volleyball team (6-2) returns home to host the 2015 FIU Invite, Sept. 17-18, from Lime Court at FIU Arena.
 
This week's invitational will feature FIU, Seattle University, UCF and Bethune-Cookman.
 
For complete coverage of this weekend's invitational, click HERE.
 
The Panthers will open the two-day tournament with a 1 p.m. match versus Bethune-Cookman on Thursday. The meeting will mark the 24^th all-time between the two schools with FIU holding a 23-0 advantage in the series history. FIU will face UCF at 7 p.m. that same day. It will be the 58^th meeting between the Panthers and Knights. UCF owns a 38-19 advantage over FIU. However, the Panthers are 6-2 versus the Knights in the last eight outings between the two teams.
 
FIU will close out the round-robin tournament versus Seattle on Friday, Sept. 18. The match, set for 7 p.m. will be the first meeting between the two schools.
 
The Panthers come into this week's action having won three-straight and six of their last seven. FIU claimed the 2015 Stetson Invitational title last weekend, defeating Stetson, 3-2, and Mercer 3-0. The Panthers have recorded a .214 hitting percentage with 355 kills, averaging 12.2 kills-per-set. FIU has recorded 44 services aces, giving the Panthers 1.5 services aces-per-set (No. 3 in C-USA). Defensively, FIU is holding the opposition to a .141 hitting percentage (No. 2 in C-USA).
 
Senior Lucia Castro leads the Panthers with 98 kills this season. The Ponce, Puerto Rico, native enters this week's play with a .245 hitting percentage, while recording 84 digs (No. 3 on the team). Castro has registered four double-doubles this season. Senior Gloria Levorin is coming off a solid weekend, earning MVP honors at the Stetson Invitational. Levorin leads the team in total blocks (30), notching a season-high seven versus Stetson last Friday. The Padova, Italy, native comes into Thursday with 45 kills and 24 digs. Freshman Katie Friesen is the team leader in assists (226) and digs (88). The Manitoba, Canada native has totaled five double-doubles on the year.
 
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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 Bank Field 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 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.