FIU hits the road for the first time in the 2018 season as the Panthers visit Orlando to partake in the UCF Challenge at The Venue on the UCF campus beginning Friday morning.
FIU (5-1) opens the four-team event by taking on host UCF at 11 a.m. Friday. The Panthers play Wofford on Friday evening at 6 p.m. and conclude the tournament Saturday at 12 p.m. against the University of Illinois-Chicago.
FIU's match against UCF can seen on-line at
UCFKnights.TV. There is no video stream for the Panthers other two matches but live stats are available for all three matches.
The Panthers have won five of their first six matches to start the season and are currently tied with UTSA (5-1) for first place in the Conference USA standings.
FIU swept Panther Fest last weekend by knocking off Savannah State, Chicago State and Delaware at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center.
The Panthers are among the leaders in the conference in several statistical categories both on offense and defense.
The Panthers are second in opponent hit percentage allowing just a .152 mark. Rice tops the league with a .150 clip.
FIU is third in blocks with 2.16 per set. Libero
Lina Bernier is third in the conference tallying 4.76 digs per set.
Offensively, the Panthers are third in kills with 13.48 per set. Senior outside hitter
Margherita Bianchin is fourth in the conference with 3.72 kills per set.
FIU is also third in C-USA with 12.40 assists per set. Freshman
Abbie Hughes leads the Panthers with 8.16 assists per set.
About UCF
UCF defeated then-No. 7 USC last week in Gainesville. The Knights received 12 votes in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll. Kristina Fisher and McKenna Melville average 4.48 kills and 3.29 kills per set, respectively, to lead the offense.
FIU plays UCF for the first time since 2015. UCF leads the series 44-23.
About Wofford
Wofford is 4-3 after playing in the Purdue tournament and Georgia Tech tournament to start the season. The Terriers have won three of their last four matches. Catie Cronister leads Wofford with 3.08 kills per set.
FIU and Wofford have never played in volleyball.
About UIC
Like Wofford, UIC is 4-3, but the Flames have lost three of their last four matches. UIC lost 3-0 to Chicago State in its last match. FIU defeated Chicago State, 3-1 at Panther Fest last weekend.
UIC leads the series with FIU 4-3. The teams last met in 1997.
