MIAMI (October 30, 2017) -- FIU finishes off its home volleyball schedule with three contests this week, starting Tuesday night at 6 p.m., for an out-of-conference matchup with Bethune-Cookman at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center.
 
This is the 27^th all-time meeting between the Panthers and Wildcats, with FIU winning every meeting. FIU last meet Bethune-Cookman in Miami on September 17, 2015, in a 3-1 win.
 
FIU is 3-14 overall, splitting its last pair of games, both in Conference USA. The Wildcats have won their last pair of games and all seven MEAC contests, sporting a 10-11 overall mark.
 
Junior Margherita Bianchin (Traviso, Italy) leads FIU with 188 kills and an average of 3.03 per set this season. She is on pace to be the first Panther to breach 200 kills this season. Bianchin is also second on the squad with 177 digs. She has a double-double in two of her last three games, and a team-leading eight this season. Senior Taija Thomas (Scarborough, Ontario, Canada) is just behind Bianchin with 174 kills, an average of 2.85 per set. Sophomore Helene Thelle (Tolvsrød, Norway) is one of three Panthers to play in all 62 sets this season and paces FIU with 228 digs, or 3.68 per set. Mariana de Paula Silva (São José dos Campos, Brazil) leads FIU with 50 total blocks.
                                                                                                                                                                                             
B-C's Jordan Jefferson is the one to watch for the visitor Tuesday night, with 205 total kills, or 3.20 per set this season. Rechez Lindsay paces the Wildcats with 312 digs, an even four per set. The Bethune-Cookman blocks leader is Rakaya Neely, who has put up 82 in 2017.
                                                                        
FIU plays its last two home contests this weekend, hosting a pair of Conference USA contests. The weekend starts with UTEP Friday night at 7 p.m. and the home finale is Sunday against UTSA, starting at 1 p.m.
 
Live stats and streaming links for Tuesday's contest are available at FIUSports.com.
 
For volleyball ticket information, contact the FIU Ticket Office at 305-FIU-GAME or log onto www.FIUSports.com.
 
Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Twitter (@FIUVolleyball) and become a fan on Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUVolleyball) for all the latest FIU softball 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 eight different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including Lime Court at FIU Arena and Riccardo Silva Stadium.
 
About FIU: Florida International University is classified by Carnegie as a "R1: Doctoral Universities - Highest Research Activity" and recognized as a Carnegie Community Engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as business, engineering, computer science, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU contributes almost $9 billion each year to the local economy and is ranked second in Florida in Forbes Magazine's "America's Best Employers" list. FIU graduates are consistently among the highest paid college graduates in Florida and are among the leaders of public and private organizations throughout South Florida. 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 with multiple state-of-the-art research facilities including the Wall of Wind Research and Testing Facility, FIU's Medina Aquarius Program and the Advanced Materials Engineering Research Institute.  FIU has awarded more than 220,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, the Miami Beach Urban Studios, and Tianjin, China. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and more than 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.