MIAMI (August 31, 2016) – The FIU volleyball team (1-2) heads to Mobile, Alabama to take part in the Jaguar Invitational, September 2-3, hosted by the University of South Alabama. The trip will mark the start of a 12-game road stretch for the Panthers, including three tournaments.
 
Last week, FIU fell to Coastal Carolina, 3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-11) and Miami (Fla.) (25-12, 25-11, 25-14) before defeating Florida A&M, 3-1 (14-25, 25-17, 26-24, 25-18). The team was led by senior Katie Hogan, who led the team in kills (19), points (24.5), attacks (83), service aces (3) and was second in digs (22).
 
The Panthers enter this weekend at full strength. Junior Mariana Dal Pozzo debuted for FIU against Florida A&M, racking up 15 kills on a .345 hitting percentage and was one dig shy of a double-double. Freshman Helene Thelle will make the start as libero for the Panthers after being unable to play last weekend.
 
"I'm very excited to see what our team will be like at full strength," said Head Coach Rita Buck-Crockett. "We have trained all preseason this way and now we finally get to debut our roster."
 
Scouting Florida A&M: The Lady Rattlers (0-3) are coming off a winless weekend in Miami, Florida at the FIU Invite. The Panthers will open up against them in a rematch on Friday, September 2 at 11:30 a.m. (ET). FIU holds a 20-7 lead in the all-time series, winning the last nine matches, dating back to 1997.
 
Scouting South Alabama: The Jaguars (2-1) defeated Indiana State (3-2) and Nicholls State (3-0) and lost to Samford (3-0) in the Marriott Invitational, last weekend in Birmingham, Alabama. FIU will face their former conference rival on Friday, September 2 at 7:30 p.m. (ET). The Panthers lead the all-time series, 21-7-1 (20-6 in Sun Belt Conference).
 
Scouting Southeastern Louisiana: The Lady Lions (1-2) split a series last weekend against Southern University. They fell to Troy, 3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-20) on Tuesday. FIU will conclude the Jaguar Invitational against the Lady Lions on Saturday, September 3 at 11:30 a.m. (ET). The two programs have competed in seven matches together, dating back to 1979. FIU trails, 4-3 all-time in the series.

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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/.