BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - The Western Kentucky University volleyball team will continue its Sun Belt Conference schedule this weekend, visiting a pair of East Division foes in Florida Atlantic and FIU.
The Lady Toppers (17-5, 6-1 Sun Belt) take on Florida Atlantic at 5:30 p.m. Friday in Boca Raton, Fla., before traveling to Miami for a 5:30 p.m. matchup Saturday against the Panthers.
WKU will look to continue its winning ways, having won nine of its last 10 matches without dropping a set in those victories. The Lady Toppers are 2-0 against Florida Atlantic and FIU this season, sweeping each earlier this season at E.A. Diddle Arena.
"We certainly know that there are not going to be any mysteries on either side of the net," WKU coach Travis Hudson said. "Certainly, playing each other only two weeks ago, we know how we want to try to attack them, and I am sure they know how they want to try and attack us. We played really well and got two wins when they were here in Bowling Green, but we understand it is going to be a very different situation down in Florida."
The weekend's matches will conclude a five-match road swing for the Lady Toppers, who are 7-2 on the road this season, including 4-1 in conference play.
"I am a little concerned about where our team will be in terms of their energy level and things like that," Hudson said. "But that is part of conference play, and if we can find a way to get through this weekend, we've got six of our last eight (matches) here in Diddle Arena. We are very much in the hunt for the Sun Belt Conference championship, and we have to go down there and try to maintain that this weekend."
Florida Atlantic took rival FIU to five sets Friday in Miami before falling 3-2. The Owls enter the weekend with a 1-4 mark in conference play and have lost three in a row. One of those defeats was a 3-0 loss to WKU on Oct. 1. The Owls are 3-1 at home this season and rank fourth in the conference in blocks with 2.10 per set and third in the conference in service aces with 1.33 per set.
Offensively, Florida Atlantic is led by sophomore Christina Wallinger, who averages 2.61 kills per set, and junior Danielle Priest, who has a .260 hitting percentage. On the defensive side, sophomore Cintia Nightingale records a team-high 3.44 digs per set, totaling 244 on the season. Two different Owls pace the team with 0.89 blocks per set.
FIU improved to 9-8 overall and 3-2 in Sun Belt play last week as the Panthers picked up a 3-2 (25-14, 20-25, 25-13, 18-25, 15-2) win over Florida Atlantic at home. The five-set victory pushed coach Danijela Tomic's career win total to 127, tying her for second place on the FIU all-time career wins chart. In addition, FIU is now a perfect 3-0 at home and also in five-set contests in 2010. The Panthers have won 10 straight five-set matches dating back to the 2008 campaign.
WKU leads the all-time series with Florida Atlantic 10-0, including a 5-0 mark in Boca Raton. The last time the two teams met in Boca Raton, the Lady Toppers won 3-0. WKU has a 20-8 all-time record against FIU, with a 10-3 mark in Miami. The last time the two teams played in Miami, FIU won 3-1. WKU, however, has won two of the last three meetings in Miami.
For complete results and a recap of this weekend's action, please visit WKUSports.com. Live stats for Saturday's match against FIU also will be available on the site.
WKU Match Notes
