MIAMI – The FIU volleyball program hits the road for its first Conference USA (CUSA) road test of the season, traveling to Kennesaw, Georgia, for a weekend matchup against the Kennesaw State Owls.
Friday, Oct. 3 at Kennesaw State (7-5, 1-1 CUSA)
Saturday, Oct. 4 at Kennesaw State (7-5, 1-1 CUSA)
FIU (8-6, 2-0 CUSA) enters on a strong note after sweeping Missouri State in back-to-back matches at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center last weekend. The Panthers earned a four-set victory on Friday before securing a straight-set win on Saturday, joining five other programs with an unbeaten start to league play.
Senior
Kira Givans leads the way offensively with a team-high 160 kills across 14 matches. She posted a career-high 20 kills in Saturday's win and has reached double figures in kills seven times this season.
Courtney O'Brien continues her consistent play, recording a double-double in each of her last four matches. The junior outside hitter is second on the team in both kills (138) and digs (138), averaging 11.5 kills and 11.8 digs per match over that stretch.
Senior libero
Mandi Morioka anchors the defense with 233 digs, ranking top five in the conference. She earned her second CUSA Defensive Player of the Week award after combining for 40 digs in the two wins over Missouri State.
Setter
Savannah Cook also collected weekly honors, being named CUSA Setter of the Week after registering 84 assists and 13 digs across the two matches. She leads the Panthers with 370 assists this season, ranking among the league's top 10.
Jillian Huckabey added a double-double on Friday with 10 kills and 14 digs, while
Emma Beretich continues to anchor the front line with a team-leading 41 blocks, recording 11 kills and four blocks in Friday's victory.
HISTORY WITH KENNESAW STATE
Friday's contest will mark the third all-time meeting between FIU and Kennesaw State, and the second in CUSA play.
The two teams split last year's series in Miami, with FIU winning in four sets on Oct. 25 before dropping the following match in four sets on Oct. 26.
SCOUTING THE OWLS
Kennesaw State (7-5, 1-1 CUSA) enters the weekend after splitting a pair of matches against Middle Tennessee. Manu Johnsen ranks fifth in the league in kills (168), while Kaeley Walz leads the Owls with 231 assists.
Leah Freeman has a team-high 133 digs, followed by Johnsen with 101.
UP NEXT
FIU continues the conference road-swing, taking on the Sam Houston Bearkats on Oct. 10 - Oct. 11. Both matches inside the Bernard G. Johnson Coliseum will be streamed live on ESPN+.
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.
