MIAMI– It's a long-awaited return home for FIU volleyball (6-4) as the team hosts its lone home tournament this weekend, taking on Central Michigan (0-10), Alabama A&M (5-5) and Jacksonville (4-5) in the 305 Classic at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center.

Opening Serve
Fresh off an upset sweep at Tully Gym over RV Florida State, FIU is on a four-game winning streak headed into their first home tournament. The Panthers swept three of four games in Tallahassee over the weekend, including their first-ever DI victory over the Seminoles. FIU will take on CMU and Alabama A&M Friday and Jacksonville Saturday, the Chippewas the lone team FIU has never faced.

Lana Sesar was named CUSA Freshman of the Week after recording 59 kills in four games, the first weekly honor for the Panthers in 2026.

Matchup History
- Central Michigan is the third and final first-time opponent for FIU this season. The others were Merrimack and Hampton, both of whom FIU swept this year.
- The Panthers and Bulldogs have met once. On Aug. 28, 2015, FIU swept Alabama A&M as part of the Panther Challenge in Miami.
- FIU and Jacksonville have met 24 times in program history, but not since 2023. FIU is 15-9 overall and 5-4 in home games. The last meeting was a 3-0 sweep of the Dolphins on Sept. 15, 2023.

Notable Storylines
- Sesar continues her excellent first collegiate season on the heels of a CUSA Freshman of the Week honor in Tallahassee. In the 4-0 week for the Panthers, Sesar ripped 59 kills and hit .261, recording 10 or more in each game and 24 against Louisiana. She leads the Panthers in kills, is second in the conference and 36th in NCAA in kills. Sesar also leads the conference in points & is second in attacks and points per set.
- Rayne Williams achieved a stat line that has not been done by a Panther in nearly 20 years, hitting .800 on 10 attempts or more (8-0-10) against Florida State. It was the second-highest hitting % in school history, and first since Anita Szymanska went 11-0-13 (.846) against Arkansas State on 11/16/06. The other 8-0-10 performance was Charlyn Ball-Llovera on 10/12/01 against South Alabama.
- Ivona Lazovic continues to pressure opponents from the service line. She is second in the conference with 17 aces (36th NCAA) and third in aces per set (104th NCAA).
- Marta Lazzarin has been strong on the defensive side to start the season. She is currently 4th in the conference in digs (61st NCAA) and 5th in digs per set (107th NCAA).
- Freshman Gina Fedrigo has gotten some run in the middle for FIU the last few games, swatting eight total blocks and 16 kills in the last three games.
- The Panthers have their longest win streak of the season at four, which they did twice last season.

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.