MIAMI (Oct 28, 2021) – The FIU indoor volleyball team welcomes Conference USA foe Charlotte for a pair of matches at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center from Oct. 29-30. Both contests are slated for 1 p.m. ET.
Saturday serves as Senior Day for the Panthers and a special ceremony is set to take place prior to first serve.
Fans can catch both matches on
C-USA TV.
LAST TIME OUT
The Panthers won their first conference series this season, dominating Old Dominion on the road. After taking a five-set thriller from the Monarchs in the opening match, FIU swept ODU to finish out the weekend.
Giada Bianchi posted a pair of double-doubles during FIU's series sweep. The outside hitter logged 36 kills overall (4.50 kills/set) and hit .272 in the two victories over the Monarchs. Bianchi also led the Panthers with 30 digs (3.75 digs/set), seven service aces and six total blocks to go with 46.5 total points (5.82 points/set) in the two-match series. She had 18 kills, 17 digs, three aces, two blocks and 22 points in a five-set victory Friday and she posted 18 kills, 13 digs, four aces, four blocks and 24.5 points Saturday. She was named the league's freshman of the week following the performance.
BY THE NUMBERS
As a team, FIU posts 11.6 kills while hitting .180 this season. The Blue and Gold rank second in the league for blocks/set (2.58) and fourth for opponent hitting percentage (.202). Individually, Bianchi places second in the conference for aces/set (0.47), seventh for points/set (4.41) and eighth for kills/set (3.57). Defensively, Valeria Santos posts 4.39 digs and Myrthe Maring logs 1.20 blocks, which is good enough for third and fourth, respectively, in C-USA.
SCOUTING CHARLOTTE
Charlotte enters the series at 12-8 this year and 5-3 against C-USA opponents. The 49ers come to the Sunshine State following a series sweep of Marshall. As a team, CLT averages 13.4 kills while hitting .262 in 2021.
Sydney Rowan climbs the Charlotte record books this season as the outside hitter currently ranks second for total attacks in her career (4,676), fifth for career kills (1,462), and sixth for career points per set (3.78). She also enters the week as the reigning C-USA Offensive Player of the Week following a performance against Marshall where she posted 52 kills, averaging a whopping 6.50/set and hitting .385 for a career-best weekend.
UP NEXT
The Panthers hit the road for the final time this season when the team heads to Marshall for its last Conference USA series of the year from Nov. 5-6. The first contest is scheduled for 6 p.m. while the second match is slated for 2 p.m.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Get all the latest information on the team by following @FIUVolleyball on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook or @FIUBeachVB on Twitter, @FIU_Beach on Instagram and @FIUBeach on Facebook. General athletic news can also be found at @FIUSports on Facebook and @FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram.
