Pictured: Senior Ryanne Milligan (Photo Credit: Richard Lewis)

BOX SCORE (PDF) / CUMULATIVE STATISTICS (PDF)

FT. MYERS, Fla. (Nov. 6, 2012) – The FIU volleyball team dropped a 3-0 (25-18, 25-15, 25-22) decision to in-state foe Florida Gulf Coast on Tuesday evening at Alico Arena in Ft. Myers, Fla. With the loss, the Panthers fall to 8-18 (5-8 SBC), while the Eagles improve to 21-8 (15-1 ASC).

With the score tied at 16-16 in set one, FGCU tallied three-straight points to go ahead, 19-16. The teams then traded points and a kill by senior Marija Prsa brought FIU to within two at 10-18, but the Eagles finished off the set on a 5-0 run to come away with a 25-18 set victory and a 1-0 lead for the match.

In set two, FGCU ran out to a 12-5 lead and never looked back. The Panthers fought back to within four at 17-13, but it was too late, as the Eagles went on for a 25-15 set win and a 2-0 match lead.

Set three saw 12 tie scores and five lead changes, with the final tie of the contest coming at 19-19. Following an FIU timeout, FGCU posted two-consecutive points to take a 21-19 advantage, before a kill by Prsa cut the deficit to one at 21-20. The squads then traded kills, putting the score at 22-21, and two-straight Eagle kills brought up match point for FGCU at 24-21. Another kill by Prsa kept the Panthers alive, but the Eagles retaliated with a score of their own, as FGCU recorded a 25-22 set win and a 3-0 match victory.

Prsa led the FIU offense with 10 kills, while redshirt senior Renele Forde registered a team-leading 27 assists. Freshmen Lucia Castro and Gloria Levorin each tallied one service ace on the night, and senior Ryanne Milligan posted a squad-best 14 digs. Leading the Panther blocking corps was sophomore Silvia Carli with four stops, while Prsa added three blocks.

FIU will be back in action this weekend when the Panthers host Sun Belt Conference opponents Troy and South Alabama on Friday and Saturday, respectively. The contest versus the Trojans will serve as Go Green Night, while the match against the Jaguars will mark Senior Night, as four seniors enjoy their final match in the friendly confines of U.S. Century Bank Arena. First serve for both contests is slated for 6:30 p.m.

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/.

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