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RUSTON, La. (Oct. 12, 2014) – The FIU volleyball team picked up its second-consecutive Conference USA road win of the season with a 3-0 (25-19, 25-22, 25-20) win over the Louisiana Tech Lady Techsters from the Thomas Assembly Center (TAC) on Sunday afternoon. With the win, FIU improves to 6-13 overall and 3-3 in C-USA action, while Tech falls to 7-13 overall and 0-7 in conference play.
 
FIU was led by junior Lucia Castro's match-high 14 kills, while freshman Jennifer Ene and junior Gloria Levorin finished the match with seven each. Castro posted a .289 hitting percentage in the match, but Ene topped Castro with a .333 mark after committing just three errors on 12 swings. Freshman Lea Montavon added six kills, and freshman setter Kiona McSwain had a career-high four kills.
 
From the back row, FIU collected 60 digs in the match, as junior Adriana McLamb, senior Martyna Gluchowicz and Montavon combined for 42. McLamb led the Panthers with 17, while Gluchowicz tied a season-best 16 and Montavon added nine. McSwain dished out 35 assists to go along with her four kills and seven digs.
 
Louisiana Tech finished the day with a .122 hitting percentage, collecting 42 kills with 25 errors. Senior Rebecca Redgen led Tech with 13 kill, while junior Helena Gunnarsdóttir and sophomore Angela Papach added nine and eight, respectively. Sophomore Alejandra Aviles led all players with 22 digs and junior setter Adria Morales had 34 assists to go along with three digs and one kill.
 
The Lady Techsters got off to a fast start thanks to a kill and a Panther attack error, but a 4-0 FIU run put the Panthers ahead, 4-2. Tech tied it back up at 6-6, as the frame would continue to go back-and-forth, featuring three ties before a 9-2 Panther run gave FIU an eight-point advantage late in the set. Louisiana Tech battled back and would not go down quietly as it went on a 6-1 run to pull within three points; however, Montavon and Gluchowicz kills set the Panthers back on pace and they took the first set 25-19.
 
The second set started much like the first, as it featured seven ties and four lead changes in the opening moments of play. A 5-1 Louisiana Tech run forced FIU to call timeout, trailing 12-9 midway through the frame. Following the break the Lady Techsters continued their offensive assault, going ahead by as many as five points. However, the Panthers would not back down as they tied the set up four times before they took the lead at 21-20, forcing the Louisiana Tech to call timeout. FIU finished strong coming out of the break as it took the second set, 25-22, and a 2-0 lead in the match.
 
The Lady Techsters came out of the mid-match hiatus on fire taking an 8-3 early advantage. FIU responded with a 7-2 run to tie the frame up at 10-10, eventually taking an 11-10 lead. The set remained a back-and-forth affair much like the previous two. With the score set at 15-15, the Panthers went on a 10-5 run to finish strong, taking the match 3-0.
 
 The Panthers return home next weekend as they host C-USA rival Middle Tennessee. First serve is set for 6 p.m. ET from FIU Arena.
 
Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Twitter (@FIUVolleyball) and become a fan on Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUVolleyball) for all the latest FIU 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).
 
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About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including FIU Arena and Ocean BankField at FIU Stadium.
 
About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offers 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 contributes $9.8 billion each year to the local economy. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded over 200,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has over 4-00 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.