FORT MYERS, Fla. – Sophomore Jill Hopper (Muncie, Ind./Yorktown HS) registered a match-high 11 kills to lead the Florida Gulf Coast University volleyball team to a 3-0 (25-18, 25-15, 25-22) sweep of FIU in non-conference action.
The Eagles, who have won nine consecutive matches at home and picked up the program's second victory over FIU, improved to 21-8 overall, while the Panthers fell to 8-18 overall.
Hopper led the Green and Blue with 11 kills and nine digs with a .375 hitting percentage. Senior Brittany Muse (Arcadia, Fla./DeSoto County HS) and junior Christine Pinder (Gainesville, Fla./Buchholz HS/Houston/Central Florida CC) registered nine kills and 10 digs and nine kills and six blocks, respectively. Junior Kaitlin Holm (Fort Myers, Fla./Fort Myers HS/Marshall) finished with nine kills, four blocks and a .400 hitting percentage. Sophomore Olivia Mesner (Boca Raton, Fla./Spanish River HS) tallied five kills to go with a career-high nine blocks, while the setting duo of sophomore Gigi Meyer (Gainesville, Fla./Buchholz HS) and junior Courtney Greenberg (Fort Myers, Fla./Fort Myers HS/Juniata College) racked up 33 assists combined.
FGCU won the team dig battle 45-40 and outhit FIU .227 to .102. The Eagles also won the battle in kills (46-29), assists (43-29), service aces (4-2) and blocks (12-6).
The Green and Blue will be back in action this weekend when they host Lipscomb and Northern Kentucky in the final A-Sun regular season matches of the 2012 season. FGCU will take on three-time defending A-Sun Champs Lipscomb on Friday, Nov. 9 (6 p.m.), before facing the Norse of NKU on Saturday, Nov. 10 (7 p.m.).