MIAMI (September 28, 2016) – The FIU volleyball team (6-9, 0-1 in C-USA) will host its first Conference USA match on Lime Court at FIU Arena on Friday, September 30 against rival Florida Atlantic (5-10, 0-1 C-USA). The Panthers will also host UAB (7-10, 0-2 C-USA) on Sunday, October 2.
 
FIU is coming off a 3-0 (25-21, 25-16, 25-14) loss to North Texas in their Conference USA Opener. The Panthers were led by senior Katie Hogan with 11 kills and received an offensive boost from their junior middle hitters Brianna Gogins and Jennifer Ene with a combined 14 kills and five blocks. The match against the Mean Green concluded a 24-day, 12-game road stretch for FIU.
 
"We are so tremendously glad and excited to be home," said Head Coach Rita Buck-Crockett.
 
Scouting Florida Atlantic: The Owls (5-10, 0-1 in C-USA) enter Friday night's matchup with a three-game losing streak, falling to No. 25 WKU, 3-1 in their only game last week. The rivalry between FIU and Florida Atlantic will be renewed on Friday at 7 p.m. (ET).
 
Florida Atlantic is FIU's biggest and longest lasting rival. Friday's match will be the 56^th meeting in the overall series. The Panthers lead the all-time series, 29-26 on the court, but due to NCAA sanctions, the record acknowledged is 27-26 in favor of FIU. Conference USA is the third era in which both programs have called each other conference rivals. From 1991-97, both programs were part of the Trans America Athletic Conference (TAAC; has since then changed their name to Atlantic Sun Conference). The Owls held a 9-3 edge over FIU in the TAAC era. The Panthers left the TAAC in 1998 to move to the Sun Belt Conference, where Florida Atlantic joined in 2006. From 2006-12, FIU had a perfect 14-0 record against the Owls. In 2013, both universities changed conferences to Conference USA. In the three-plus years of the Conference USA era, the series is tied 3-3, with FIU winning the last two meetings.
 
Scouting UAB: The Blazers (7-10, 0-2 in C-USA) will face Charlotte on Friday, before coming to Miami to play FIU on Sunday, October 2. UAB is coming off a winless weekend against conference foes, falling 3-1 to Middle Tennessee and 3-2 to UTEP. The matchup between FIU and the Blazers will begin at 1 p.m.
 
Last season, UAB finished Conference USA play with a 1-15 record, worst in the conference. The Blazers are off to a much better start this season, winning seven matches already. The match on Sunday will mark the seventh meeting between the two programs. FIU has a 5-1 series lead, winning the last three games, all under Buck-Crockett.
 
Live stats and live video streaming will be available on FIUSports.com and on C-USA TV.

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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/.