Jonathan Jacobskind/ Staff Writer
Head coach Trevor Theroulde was not joking when he declared that the Panthers must defeat the top dogs in Florida if the program begs to withstand a chance on the national landscape. With the 2012 schedule announced on July 13, the newly appointed head coach will have a chance to back his words. In what is
The Panthers start their season against three top teams in Florida: UF, FSU, and UCF.
shaping up to be one of the toughest seasons yet, FIU squares off against Florida State, University of Florida and University of Central Florida.
“The tournaments that we chose have teams [ranked] in the top 50 or the top 20,” Theroulde commented. “We want to set a high standard for what we are trying to achieve.”
The Panthers look to make a sincere statement against some fierce in-state competition as FIU attempts to out-duel the Gators on Aug.24 in the Campus USA Credit Union Invitational. The Gators reached the Elite Eight in the 2011 NCAA Tournament.
“University of Florida will always be one of the top teams in the SEC. So if we could knock off one of these top teams in the SEC and as they win in the SEC we look better as a team,” Theroulde said. The Panthers wrap up the invitational against Florida Gulf Coast and Florida A&M on Aug. 25-26.
The Panthers then partake in the Florida State Volleyball Invitational on Aug. 31 that features an even more stifling in-state road test against the Florida State Seminoles. The Noles were on the cusp of reaching the finals in 2011 NCAA Tournament after faltering in the semi-finals.Theroulde is not fazed by FSU’s talent and is confident that FIU has the skill to go toe to toe with the Seminoles.
“We are very skilled in key areas and really strong in all facets of the game,” Theroulde stated. “We are trying to improve our passing and our setting around those areas and have aggressive attacks in order to beat top teams like FSU.”
In September, the Panthers head west to participate in the Rams Volleyball Classic where they’ll face off against a pair of 2011 NCAA Tourney contestants in Colorado State and Pepperdine University. Despite an early season gauntlet against championship caliber competition, Theroulde remains optimistic about his squad’s chances versus some of the nation’s top tier volleyball programs believing in early team chemistry.
“Some of the girls have decided to stay for summer school and put in that extra work necessary so they can improve that cohesiveness within the team to start building team chemistry,” Theroulde said.
After a grueling 12-match road stretch to start the season, FIU fans will catch a glimpse of the 2012 squad as they inaugurate conference play within the friendly confines of the U.S Century Bank Arena against University of Arkansas at Little Rock on Sep. 21.
As the season winds down, the Panthers start playing a lot of consecutive home games, a strength of theirs. In the last five years, the Panthers are a remarkable 47-9 at home.
“The girls are comfortable playing at home with the presence of home fans, they are loud and they are very supportive,” Theroulde said. “This year we are trying to approach every venue like if it is FIU. We have to win on the road to be champions. We have to send a strong message that we are here to win championships.”
The Panthers look to avenge a 3-0 sweep in the 2011 SBC tournament semi-finals at the hands of WKU in October, on the 12th and the 26th of that month.
FIU concludes the regular season as it plays hosts to five of six opponents in Miami. The SBC Tournament will be held in Bowling Green, Kentucky and is slated for November 15-17. It all leads up to the season finale against Central Florida (Nov. 24) on the road.
jonathan.jacobskind@fiusm.com
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