Box Score Photo Credit: Alex Hernandez
BOX SCORE (PDF) / CUMULATIVE STATISTICS (PDF)
MIAMI (Nov. 10, 2012) – Four Panthers registered double-digit kills and three Panthers posted double-doubles, as FIU defeated Sun Belt Conference foe South Alabama, 3-2 (17-25, 24-26, 25-19, 25-20, 15-13), on Saturday night at U.S. Century Bank Arena. With the win, FIU improves to 10-18 (7-8 SBC) and clinches a spot in the upcoming SBC Volleyball Championship. USA falls to 13-17 (6-9 SBC) with the loss.
The Jaguars came out strong, winning set one, 25-17, and going ahead 2-0 for the match following a 26-24 set-two victory.
In set three, FIU held a 12-11 advantage before the Panthers went on a 5-0 run to push their lead to 17-11. FIU would then go ahead, 23-15, forcing a USA timeout. Out of the break, the Jaguars registered three-straight points to put the score at 23-18, this time forcing an FIU timeout. Senior Marija Prsa came through with a kill after the break, bringing up set-point for the Panthers, and USA managed one more point, but a final kill from freshman Gloria Levorin gave FIU a 25-19 set victory, putting the match score at 2-1.
Set four saw FIU take a lead at 22-18 before USA scored two-consecutive points to get to within two at 22-20. Following a Panther timeout, Prsa slammed home a pass from freshman Ashlee Hodgskin and a kill from sophomore Silvia Carli put FIU in set-point position at 24-20. Hodgskin would then pass to Levorin for a score, as FIU knotted the match at 2-2 by way of a 25-20 set win.
In set five, FIU battled through 11 tie scores and seven lead changes, with the final tie score coming at 13-13. Levorin and Carli combined for a block to bring up match point for the Panthers, and, following a USA timeout, a Jaguar attack error gave FIU a 15-13 set win and a 3-2 match victory.
Prsa led the FIU offense with 19 kills, also adding 10 digs to mark her 11th double-double of the season and the 21st of her career. Junior Kimberly Smith added 16 kills, while Levorin registered a career-best 13 kills against just one error in 25 attempts for an attack percentage of .480. Freshman Lucia Castro contributed 13 kills and added 12 digs, marking her third-career double-double, as FIU hit .302 for the match.
Hodgskin notched her fourth-career double-double with a team-leading 38 assists and 10 digs, also contributing a squad-best and career-high three service aces on the night.
Senior Ryanne Milligan led the Panther defense with a career-high 29 digs, while Levorin recorded a team-high six blocks in the victory.
The 2012 Sun Belt Conference Volleyball Championship is slated for Nov. 15-17, at E.A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, Ky. Stay tuned to FIUSports.com and SunBeltSports.org for official seeding and bracket information, to be released on Sunday evening.
Fans can visit www.FIUSports.com, follow @FIUVolleyball on Twitter, and "Like" FIU volleyball on Facebook (www.Facebook.com/FIUVolleyball) for the latest Panther volleyball news. Follow all of FIU's 18 athletic teams on Google+ (FIU Athletics), Twitter (@FIUAthletics), Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSports), YouTube (FIUPanthers), and Instagram (FIUathletics).
About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports, and is a proud member of the Sun Belt Conference and an affiliate member of Conference USA (men's soccer). Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including U.S. Century Bank Arena and Alfonso Field at FIU Stadium.
About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. Its colleges and schools offer more than 180 bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU is worlds ahead in its local and global engagement, finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission and enrolls nearly 48,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. More than 140,000 alumni live and work in South Florida. FIU is a member of the Sun Belt Conference and has 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.
--- www.FIUSports.com ---
