Photo credit: Alex Hernandez

BOX SCORE (PDF) / CUMULATIVE STATISTICS (PDF)

MIAMI, Fla. (Sept. 23, 2012) – The FIU volleyball team handed Arkansas State its first Sun Belt Conference loss of the season on Sunday afternoon, as the Panthers defeated the Red Wolves, 3-0 (26-24, 25-23, 25-19) at U.S. Century Bank Arena. With the victory, FIU improves to 4-10 (1-1 SBC) while ASU falls to 10-7 (1-1 SBC).

Down by two points at 20-19 in set one, FIU called a timeout. Out of the break, junior Kimberly Smith recorded back-to-back kills to knot the score at 20-20, and a service ace by freshman Ashlee Hodgskin put the Panthers ahead, 21-20. ASU would then score two-straight points to take a 22-21 lead before freshman Lucia Castro and sophomore Silvia Carli combined for a block to bring up a 22-22 tie score.

The squads traded points on two occasions to put the score at 24-24, and an ASU attack error put FIU in set-point position at 25-24. Senior Ryanne Milligan then passed to freshman Gloria Levorin for a kill to give the Panthers a 26-24 set win and a 1-0 lead for the match.

Set two saw four lead changes and 13 tie scores, as both teams came to battle. A kill by senior Marija Prsa put FIU on top at 22-20 and an attack error by the Red Wolves made it 23-20. ASU would not go away, posting three-consecutive points to knot the score at 23-23. Following an FIU timeout, Carli and Levorin teamed up for a block to bring up set point for the Panthers at 24-23 before Levorin combined with junior Brittany Spencer for a block to give FIU a 25-23 set victory and a 2-0 match advantage.

In the third stanza, FIU enjoyed a narrow 17-15 lead before the Panthers scored four-straight points to extend their lead to 21-16. An ASU block put the score at 21-17, and FIU countered with a kill from Castro to make it 22-17. The teams would then trade kills to bring up a 23-18 score before another kill by Castro, on a pass from Milligan, brought up match-point for the Panthers at 24-18. The Red Wolves managed one more point, but a final kill from Castro gave FIU a 25-19 set win and a 3-0 match victory.

As a team, FIU out-blocked ASU, 12.0-4.0 for the match, as Spencer led the Panther blockers with a career-high seven stops on the day. Sophomore Carolyn Fouts registered a team-best 14 digs and Prsa added 12 digs, marking her sixth double-double of the season and 16th for her career.

Smith and Prsa led the FIU offense with 10 kills apiece, while Castro added eight scores. Hodgskin posted a team-high 19 assists, and Milligan chipped in with 12 helpers against the Red Wolves. In addition, Hodgskin totaled a team-best two service aces.

FIU will return to action on Sept. 28 when the Panthers travel to Troy, Ala., for a league matchup at Troy. First serve is set for 8 p.m. ET.

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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