MIAMI, Fla. -  The FIU women's volleyball team prepares for Conference USA action this weekend after wrapping up its nonconference games. They will be hosting the University of Texas at El Paso on Friday, Sept. 23, and the University of North Texas on Sunday, Sept. 25.   

Friday, Sept. 23 vs UTEP (6-7)

• Time/Site: 7 p.m. ET at Ocean Bank Convocation Center 

• Live Stats

• Streaming Video: CUSA.tv

 Sunday, Sept. 25 vs UNT (6-9)

• Time/Site: 1 p.m. ET at Ocean Bank Convocation Center 

• Live Stats

• Streaming Video: CUSA.tv

The Panthers enter conference play winning their last two matches and ready for some redemption against UTEP. The only time these two teams faced one another last year was in the Conference USA tournament. UTEP edged FIU in a close match 3-2. A win on Friday would mark the first win over UTEP since 2018. 

Junior outside hitter, Emily Meyer, is having a great season for the Panthers. She had a streak of five consecutive matches where she recorded double-digit kills. On Sept. 8 against Little Rock, Meyer recorded her career high in kills with 19. She is currently tenth in all of C-USA with 2.98 kills/ set so far this season.  

Another Panther making noise in Conference USA is libero Katie Turner. She is coming off a successful weekend at the Rutgers Tournament and was named All-Tournament Team along with Alyssa Wissinger. Turner leads FIU with 201 digs which is currently tied for seventh in Conference USA. She is also eighth in the conference with 16 service aces. 

Junior setter, Sarah Nading, is making a big splash in her first year with FIU. The Abilene Christian transfer has 315 assists this season which cracks the top ten in Conference USA. She is averaging 9.26 assists/ set which is sixth best in the conference. 

Among the team's kills leaders, Athina Dimitriadis follows Meyer with 112 this season. She also has been a presence defensively throughout the year racking up 43 blocks which is the ninth most in the conference. 

SCOUTING UTEP:
The Miners enter Friday's C-USA opener with a 6-7 record on the season, most recently coming off a 3-0 win over the University of Texas Rio Grande on Sept. 19. UTEP was picked to finish third in the C-USA Preseason Poll, four spots in front of FIU. The Miners are led by outside hitter Serena Patterson. She leads the Miners with 136 kills and is living up to her preseason expectations. Patterson was named to the 2022 Conference USA Preseason Team along with outside hitter/ middle blocker Alianza Darley. 

Outside hitter, Sara Pustahija, is not too far behind Patterson for the team lead in kills. Pustahija has 130 kills this season and the Miners have four players with at least 100 kills. UTEP's defense has been impressive during non-conference play and has held opponents to a .163 hit percentage. 

Series History: UTEP leads 5-3

SCOUTING NORTH TEXAS:
North Texas enters the weekend 6-9 in non-conference action and was picked to finish fifth in the C-USA Preseason Poll. UNT will open conference play Friday night against Florida Atlantic University and are most recently coming off a 3-1 win over Montana State. As a team, North Texas features an explosive offense. They lead the entire conference with 686 kills but they have played two extra matches compared to FIU. They are also tied with the fifth most kills in a single match this season with 68 against UTRGV (08/27/2022). 

Opposite hitter Treyaunna Rush headlines the Mean Green's offense. She leads them with 207 kills and is averaging 3.83/ set which is fourth best in the conference. Defensively, North Texas is anchored by libero/ defensive specialist, Aleeyah Galdeira. She has 251 assists which leads her team by a landslide. She is third in the conference slightly ahead of Katie Turner in digs/ game with 4.67 compared to Turner's 4.57. 

North Texas has won the last six matchups against FIU dating back to 2014 and they are 6-4 against FIU in the last ten meetings. 

Series Lead: FIU leads 12-10

UP NEXT
After their two home games, the Panthers will play their first C-USA road matches the following weekend. The first match is Friday, Sept. 30 against Western Kentucky University at 7:00 p.m. ET. That will be followed up by a Sunday afternoon showdown against Middle Tennessee on Oct. 2 at 2:00 p.m. ET.  

Both matches are scheduled to be broadcasted on CUSA.tv.

SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Instagram (@FIUVolleyball), Twitter (@FIUVolleyball), and Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUVolleyball) for all the latest Women's Soccer news.

General athletic news can also be found at @FIUSports on Facebook and @FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram.