MIAMI (August 26, 2021) – The FIU indoor volleyball team opens the season at home with the FIU Invite taking place from Aug. 27-28.

The Panthers open the tournament with a match against Tarleton State on Friday and close out the weekend with a contest against Miami on Saturday. Both matches are set for 4 p.m. ET and can be viewed on C-USA TV.

A LOOK AT LAST SEASON
FIU went 3-10 overall last year with a 3-9 record against Conference USA opponents. The team closed out the 2020 season with back-to-back victories at Florida Atlantic. The sweep during the series finale marked the first season sweep of rival FAU since 2015. The historic win is also the first time the team has topped its rivals 3-0 since 2013, head coach Rita Buck-Crockett's first season with the program.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
FIU added seven new faces to the roster in 2021, five of which are true freshmen. Jade Sadeiko joins the Panthers following two seasons at Oregon. Camila De La Rosa comes to FIU following two years at Miami Dade College.

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Miami went 11-7 during the 2020-21 campaign with a 9-7 record against Atlantic Coast Conference opponents. The Hurricanes placed eighth in the ACC Preseason Coaches' Poll. Savannah Vach earned Preseason All-ACC accolades. Vach earned Second Team All-ACC honors and AVCA All-East Coast Region distinction as a sophomore in 2020-21. She placed third in the conference with 10.07 assists per set, logging a team-high 675 total in the condensed season.

Tarleton State comes to the Sunshine State having gone 13-11 in 2020 with a 6-8 record against competition in the Western Athletic Conference. The team was picked to finish third in the in the WAC Southwest Division Coaches poll. Lauren Kersey earned preseason All-WAC honors after a standout debut in Division I. The 2020 All-WAC first team member led the league in kills last season with 283. She played in all 24 matches and 89 sets for the Texans, posting a team-high and WAC-leading 314 points.

UP NEXT
FIU heads to the Hilton Garden Inn FGCU Classic next weekend where the Panthers face off against Florida A&M, USC Upstate and tournament host Florida Gulf Coast from September 3-4.

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.