MIAMI — FIU's volleyball program will make the trip to El Paso, Texas to compete in the Conference USA (CUSA) Championships this weekend. 

The eighth-seeded Panthers will face off with top-seeded Western Kentucky in the opening round of the tournament. The match is slated for 2 p.m. ET / Noon MT. 

Friday, Nov. 22 vs. Western Kentucky

Time/Site: 2 p.m. ET / Memorial Gym

Both of the Panthers' matchups with WKU went to the wire as FIU fell in five sets at home in both contests on Oct. 12-13. 

Jillian Huckabey continues to pace the FIU attack and was recently named to the CUSA All-Freshman team following a standout first-year for the Panthers. She currently sits seventh in CUSA in kills with  335 and eighth in CUSA in kills per set with 3.05.

Mandi Morioka has also been a standout, but on the defensive end, with her 518 digs, an average of 4.32 digs per set. She sits first and second in CUSA in those categories, respectively. 

As a team, the Panthers snapped a four-game losing streak last weekend with two convincing victories over Sam Houston in three sets. FIU honored seniors Anna Feldkamp, Cameryn Jones, Colby Lane and Travel Morris as part of its Senior Weekend festivities. 

In 2023, sixth-seeded FIU upset third-seeded Middle Tennessee in five sets for the program's first win at the CUSA Tournament since 2018. The Panthers then fell to second-seeded New Mexico State in four sets in the semifinals. 

SCOUTING WKU

The Hilltoppers are the perennial-power in CUSA, holding a regular season match win streak of 90-plus matches. 

WKU has a slew of All-CUSA honorees, led by Player of the Year Kaylee Cox. Cox ranks within the top-10 in CUSA in kills, service aces, hitting percentage and overall points scored. 

Setter of the Year Callie Bauer will also be a factor to the Hilltoppers, leading the conference with her 1,201 assists and average of 10.82 kills per set. 

2024 Conference USA Volleyball Championship

November 22-24, 2024 – El Paso, Texas

Friday, November 22– Quarterfinals

Match 1: (1) WKU vs. (8) FIU (ESPN+) – 12 p.m. MT

Match 2: (4) Kennesaw State  vs. (5) MTSU (ESPN+) – 2 p.m. MT

Match 3: (2) UTEP vs. (7) Liberty (ESPN+) – 5 p.m. MT

Match 4: (3) NM State  vs. (6) Sam Houston (ESPN+) – 7 p.m. MT

Saturday, November 23 – Semifinals

Match 5: M1 Winner vs. M2 Winner (ESPN+) – 12 a.m. MT

Match 6: M3 Winner vs. M4 Winner (ESPN+) – 2:30 p.m. MT

Sunday, November 24 – Championship Match

Match 7: Semifinal Winners (ESPN+) – 12 p.m. MT

SOCIAL MEDIA

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