Louisiana Tech University
FIU
LA Tech Host FIU for Alumni Weekend and Senior Day
11/7/2024 6:00:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
RUSTON — Louisiana Tech will host FIU for the final action inside the Thomas Assembly Center starting on Friday at 6 p.m. CT and will return for senior day on Sunday at 1 p.m. CT.
GAME INFORMATION
DATE/TIME: Friday-Sunday, November 8-10, 6 p.m. CT | 1 p.m. CT
LOCATION: Ruston, La. (Thomas Assembly Center)
STATS: LATechSports.com/Stats
SERIES RECORD: First meeting
LAST MEETING: First meeting
ABOUT LOUISIANA TECH (6-21, 0-14)
Louisiana Tech dropped both matches to Kennesaw State last weekend in straight sets. The Bulldogs fought back in the third set of the second match to push the score to 29-27.
Giulia Bonifacio led Tech with nine kills and 11 digs on the weekend. The junior continues to lead the team with 191 kills and is third with 180 digs on the season.
Freshman Rori Gray had six of her seven kills against the Owls on the final day and finished with a .500 hitting clip on the weekend. The Washington D.C. native has seven matches hitting above .300 on the year in the middle. She has shown her ability to play defense with three matches of four or more blocks and has affected multiple attacks.
Another Bulldog that is having a phenomenal season is Jailen Hurley on the right side. Hurley finished with eight kills against the Owls and has 20 matches with five or more on the season.
LA Tech still has a chance to make the Conference USA tournament but must win the remaining four games against the two teams above them in the standings to do so.
ABOUT FIU (6-22, 4-10)
FIU comes into the contest having lost to Florida Gulf Coast in a midweek match after splitting with Jacksonville State in their previous CUSA series.
Jilian Huckabey and Courtney O'Brien lead the Panthers with over 240 kills apiece. The duo led FIU with double-digit kills in all three matches this previous week.
Huckabey is seventh in the league in total and kills per set, with 292 and 3.04, respectively. The freshman has 17 matches with 10 or more kills and has seven double-doubles on the season.
O'Brien has come on strong during conference play with nine matches of double-digit kills. The sophomore transfer has four double-doubles during CUSA action.
Defensively, Mandi Morioka is one of the best in the country. The Penn State transfer leads the league and is 17th in the nation with 457 digs on the year. She has secured double-digits in all but three matches this season.
QUOTABLES
Head Coach Amber McCray
"We have just two more opportunities to compete on our home floor this weekend, and we need to make the most of them. FIU is a strong serving team who has picked up some momentum the last couple of weeks after struggling early, but there are areas of our game we believe can cause them problems if we are consistent in them. Plus, we are celebrating two major groups this weekend, our alumni Friday night and our seven seniors who have given so much to our program on Sunday. As the time winds down on all of their careers, we are still fighting to extend them while making the most our time left by cherishing every moment on the court and making all of those moments count."
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