MIAMI — The No. 4 seed FIU volleyball program is set for a quarterfinal matchup in the 2025 Conference USA Championship, hosting No. 5 seed Liberty on Friday, Nov. 21, inside the Ocean Bank Convocation Center.
Friday, Nov. 21 at No. 5 Liberty (20-9, 8-8)
FIU (18-11, 12-4 CUSA) hosts the Conference USA Championship for the first time in program history, welcoming seven additional programs from Nov. 21–23. The eight-team, single-elimination tournament begins with four quarterfinal matches on Friday, followed by the semifinals on Saturday, Nov. 22, and the championship match on Sunday, Nov. 23.
The Panthers enter postseason play following their best regular season since 2011, recording 18 wins and a program-best 12 victories in Conference USA action. Their No. 4 seed marks the highest in program history since joining the league. FIU also logged 10 home wins—its most since 2018—and strung together a 10-match CUSA winning streak, the longest in program history.
FIU collected seven Conference USA postseason honors, including two major awards:
Mandi Morioka (Libero of the Year) and
Magda Stambrowska (Newcomer of the Year).
Offensively,
Kira Givans, a First Team All-Conference selection, paced the Panthers with 356 kills. She produced 18 double-digit kill performances and three 20-plus kill outings, highlighted by a career-high 24 kills at Kennesaw State on Oct. 4. She was named CUSA Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 13.
Freshman
Rebekah Pfefferkorn, an All-Freshman Team honoree, appeared in 27 matches and ranked third on the squad with 203 kills. She tallied eight double-digit kill efforts, including a career-best 18 kills vs. Stetson on Sept. 5, and earned CUSA Freshman of the Week recognition on Oct. 27.
Setter
Savannah Cook, a Second Team All-Conference selection, leads FIU with 950 assists and ranks first in CUSA with 10.11 assists per set. Her 618 assists in league play also top the conference. She has recorded 11 matches with 40-plus assists and owns eight double-doubles this season. Cook set a career high with 59 assists in FIU's four-set win at Liberty on Oct. 25 — a new Liberty Arena record — and earned CUSA Setter of the Week honors on Sept. 29.
Stambrowska delivered a strong debut season, appearing in 25 matches with 20 starts. She leads the Panthers with 64 blocks, including seven matches with four or more. She posted a season-best eight blocks at Liberty on Oct. 24 and logged seven double-digit kill matches, highlighted by 12 kills at Sam Houston on Oct. 10. She was named CUSA Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 27.
Morioka, the league's Libero of the Year, has appeared in all 29 matches and leads FIU with 465 digs, the third-most in Conference USA. Her 254 digs in league play rank fourth. She has recorded six 20-plus dig matches, including a career-high 29 vs. Drake on Sept. 6, and recently surpassed 1,000 career digs—becoming the eighth Panther in program history to reach the milestone. She earned CUSA Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 1 and Sept. 29.
As a team, FIU ranks third in the conference in kills (1,424), assists (1,306), and digs (1,539), while sitting second in service aces (199).
HISTORY WITH LIBERTY
Friday marks the seventh all-time meeting between FIU and Liberty—and the first in the Conference USA Championship. The Panthers have won five straight in the series dating back to 2023, including a two-match sweep in Lynchburg on Oct. 24–25 this season.
In their last home meetings, FIU swept the Flames in back-to-back matches on Oct. 29–30, 2024.
SCOUTING THE FLAMES
Liberty enters as the No. 5 seed with a 20-9 overall record and an 8-8 mark in Conference USA play. The Flames closed the regular season with two home losses to Western Kentucky.
Liberty is led by All-Second Team selection Paige Overcash, who leads the program with 380 kills. Jenna Otts follows closely with 373, while Carly O'Brien has contributed 350.
Alison Bierwagon leads the squad with 781 assists, while O'Brien anchors the defense with a team-best 337 digs. Laney Daniell paces the Flames with 85 blocks.
UP NEXT
With the win, FIU faces UTEP/Missouri State in the semifinals on Saturday, Nov. 22 at 2 p.m.. It will be streamed live on ESPN+ from the Ocean Bank Convocation Center.
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.
