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Sept. 24, 2000
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - Western Kentucky will try to go 2-0 in the Sun Belt Conference for the first time since 1996 when it squares off with Florida International Sunday at noon (CDT) at E.A. Diddle Arena. The Lady Toppers have won three consecutive matches and a victory over the Golden Panthers would equal WKU's longest winning streak of the season.
Western (12-3, 1-0) opened the 2000 Sun Belt season with a 3-0 (15-7, 15-4, 15-9) rout of Louisiana Tech Friday night at Diddle Arena. The Lady Toppers posted a torrid .383 hitting percentage in the match, with five players hitting better than .360 in the contest. Junior left-side hitter Tara Thomas carried her strong early-season play into conference action, recording her Sun Belt-leading ninth double-double of the season (and fourth in as many matches) with match-bests of 21 kills and 11 digs, along with a career-high three blocks and a .425 hitting percentage. Junior outside hitter Natalie Furry continued to be deadly efficient on offense, pounding out 17 kills and logging a .571 hitting ratio. Sophomore Sara Noe, the country's eighth-ranked setter, showed why she deserves her national accolade, dishing out 59 assists.
Florida International (6-6, 0-1) will be playing its third road match in as many days when it arrives in Bowling Green Sunday afternoon. The Golden Panthers have gone 0-2 so far on their road swing, losing their Sun Belt opener Friday night, 3-1 at league newcomer Middle Tennessee, and dropping a narrow 3-2 non-conference decision Saturday afternoon at Austin Peay. Outside hitter Adriana Fundora had 22 kills and 13 digs to lead the Golden Panthers at MTSU, while opposite hitter Nirvana Kos rolled up 31 kills and 21 digs in the loss to APSU. Saturday's setback to the Lady Govs may be especially difficult for FIU, which led two games to one in the match and had a 9-4 edge in game four before APSU rallied for the victory.
Western Kentucky owns a sizeable 5-1 advantage in the all-time series with Florida International. The Lady Toppers have won the last five meetings with the Golden Panthers, including all four matches since FIU joined the Sun Belt in 1998. WKU has also swept Florida International in both previous encounters at Diddle Arena, including a 15-0, 15-6, 15-8 victory last season.
-- WKU --
