Pictured: Sophomore Silvia Carli (Photo Credit: Alex Hernandez)

BOX SCORE (PDF) / CUMULATIVE STATISTICS (PDF)

TAMPA, Fla. (Sept. 16, 2012) – The FIU volleyball squad fell to USF, 3-0 (25-16, 26-24, 25-18), on Sunday afternoon at the USF Tournament in Tampa, Fla. With the loss, the Panthers fall to 3-9 while the Bulls improve to 7-5.

With the score tied at 8-8 in the opening set, USF rattled off five-straight points to take a 13-8 lead. FIU battled back, getting to within one at 15-14 on a solo block by freshman Gloria Levorin, but the Bulls retaliated with three-consecutive scores to go ahead, 18-14. Freshman Lucia Castro would then slam down a kill on a pass from freshman Ashlee Hodgskin to make it 19-15, and once again USF was able to counter with a kill of its own, taking a 19-15 lead and forcing and FIU timeout.

Out of the break, four-straight USF points ensued, before a kill by junior Kimberly Smith broke the scoring rally, putting the score at 23-16. The Bulls would then tally the final two points of the stanza to take away a 25-16 set victory and a 1-0 lead for the match.

Set two saw five ties, as the squads battled to a 20-20 score. A pair of USF points gave the Bulls a 22-20 advantage and a kill by junior Brittany Spencer followed, but another USF score put the deficit back to two at 23-21. The teams then traded points to make it 24-22, and a Bulls service error kept FIU alive, putting the score at 24-23.

Following a USF timeout, a kill by Smith knotted the score at 24-24, but the Bulls closed out the set with two-straight kills, going on to take a 2-0 match lead by way of a 26-24 set win.

In set three, USF jumped out to a 13-10 advantage before the Bulls went on a 6-0 run to extend their lead to 19-10. FIU posted back-to-back kills to make it 19-12, and the Panthers kept battling, but the deficit was too much to overcome, as USF came away with a 25-18 set win and a 3-0 match victory.

Senior Marija Prsa registered team-high marks of 10 kills and nine digs, while Hodgskin tallied a squad-best 25 assists. Hodgskin, Castro and senior Ryanne Milligan each recorded one service ace on the day, and Levorin and Smith led the FIU blocking corps with three blocks each, including one solo stop apiece.

FIU returns to action on Friday, Sept. 21, when the Panthers begin Sun Belt Conference play versus UALR in the friendly confines of U.S. Century Bank Arena. First serve for the home opener is slated for 6:30 p.m. The Panthers will also host SBC foe Arkansas State on Sunday, Sept. 23, at 1 p.m.

For FIU volleyball ticket information, call 305-FIUGAME.

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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