Orlando, Fla. - The FIU women's volleyball team (1-2, 0-0 C-USA) is back on the road for a midweek showdown against the UCF Knights on Thursday, August 31 at 12 p.m. ET inside The Venue at UCF.
Thursday, Aug. 31 vs UCF (3-0, 0-0 Big 12)
The Panthers opened the 2023 season last week at the University of Miami taking part in the "Canes Classic". FIU came out of the tournament with a 1-2 record securing a victory against Lamar in straight sets (25-17, 25-15, 25-15).
Outside hitter
Mackenzie Morgan paced FIU during the first week of action with 26 kills in the three matches combined. Morgan also contributed on the defensive end with 14 digs, including seven against Maryland in the season opener.
Another Panther that recorded over 20 kills last week is outside hitter,
Jade Sadeiko who finished with 23. Against the Terps, Sadeiko led FIU with 12 kills and was second on the team with seven against Lamar.
Rounding out the balanced offensive effort for FIU is graduate student transfer and outside hitter,
Syra Tanchin. In her FIU debut against Maryland, Tanchin finished second on the team with nine kills and finished the week with 19 in total.
One of the key contributors for FIU's win against the Cardinals was setter
Gianna Tagoa'i. The freshman recorded 52 assists and nine kills in her first three matches as a Panther. Against Lamar, she paced the Panthers with 30 assists to establish a career-best while chipping in four kills and three digs. On Saturday, August 26 against Miami, Tagoa'i led FIU with 14 assists and notched three kills and four digs.
For her efforts, Tagoa'i was named the Conference USA Freshman of the Week announced by the league office on Monday, August 28 to close out the first week of the 2023 season.
SCOUTING UCF
The Knights are in their first year with new Head Coach Jenny Maurer after spending the last seven seasons with the program as an associate head coach and recruiting coordinator.
Last season, the Knights posted an impressive 28-2 overall record and finished first in the AAC with a 19-1 record. UCF qualified for the NCAA Tournament and reached the second round and has won the last five American Athletic Conference titles (regular season or tournament or both) and competed in the NCAA Championship each of those years.
Tomorrow's matchup against the Knights will be their 2023 home opener and also the first time these two programs face off since Sept. 7, 2018. The Panthers look to snap a four-match losing streak against UCF dating back to 2012.
UCF is off to a hot start in 2023 winning their first three matches of the season including two wins in straight sets against Syracuse and Albany. After the first week of play, the Knights have four players that recorded 20 or more kills. Outside hitter, Emily Wilson, leads UCF with 29 while middle blocker Abbey Hansen has been a presence standing at 6'5" and second on the Knights with 28.
Another pair of outside hitters, freshman Avah Armour and junior Heidi Bonde each have 24 kills while Bonde leads the Knights averaging 3.00 kills per set to round out UCF's offensive attack.
Series History: FIU leads 6-5
UP NEXT
FIU will stay in Orlando and participate in the "UCF Challenge" starting this Saturday, Sept. 2 against Alabama State at 11 a.m. ET and Mississippi State at 5 p.m. ET. The Panthers will wrap up their time in Orlando the following day against Wake Forest on Sunday, Sept. 3 at 1 p.m. ET.
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 Volleyball news.
General athletic news can also be found at
@FIUSports on Facebook and
@FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram
