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MIAMI (Nov. 12, 2014) – The FIU volleyball team suffered a 3-1 (20-25, 25-16, 18-25, 21-25) non-conference loss to the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles from Alico Arena on Wednesday night. With the loss, the Panthers fall to 6-23 overall and remain 3-12 in Conference USA action, while the eagles improve to 18-9 overall.
 
FIU finished the match with a .207 hitting percentage, while the Eagles hit .289 overall. Statistically, the match remained pretty even minus the hitting percentage with the Eagles posting 59 kills to the Panthers'58. FGCU also had 4.0 blocks compared to FIU's 3.0 and added 83 digs to the Panthers' 81. FIU finished the night with five service aces compared to Florida Gulf Coast's two.
 
Lucia Castro led the Panthers with her third-straight 17-kill match performance. It was also the sixth-consecutive match that she posted double-digit kill figures. Castro was one of four Panthers to notch double-digit kill numbers as Gloria Levorin had 14, Martyna Gluchowicz added 12 and Jennifer Ene chipped in with 11. Ene also posted a team-best .360 hitting percentage as she committed only two errors on 25 swings.
 
Defensively, Castro led the way with 19 digs to notch her third consecutive double-double. She now has 11 on the season and 19 for her career. Gluchowicz also had a double-double with 12 digs to go along with her 12 kills. It was the third time this season and fifth time in her career the Poland native has garnered such numbers. Adriana McLamb led all FIU players on the back row with 21 digs. 
 
Eleonora Kazarian paced the Eagles with a match-high 22 kills, while Jessica Barnes and Olivia Mesner added 14 and 12 kills, respectively. Setter Gigi Meyer had a double-double with a match-high 50 assists and 12 digs.
 
The Panthers took the early lead in the opening set, scoring three-straight points to pull ahead 6-3; however, the Eagles would eventually fight back to tie it at six-all. Florida Gulf Coast continued to gain momentum throughout the frame to take a 12-9 lead as FIU took its first timeout. Two Eagle service errors seemed to spark new life in the Panthers as they pulled back within two at 16-14. A Barnes kill and a Castro attack error started a 7-2 run that propelled FGCU to a 23-16 lead. Despite scoring the next three points, FIU could not overcome that seven point deficit, and the Eagles held on to win the first set 25-20.
 
The second set began with the two teams exchanging points over the opening moments of play, but a 4-0 Eagle run would give them an edge a little less than halfway through the frame. With Florida Gulf Coast ahead, 7-3, FIU used a 7-2 run to take the lead. Following a FGCU timeout, the set would swing back-and-forth until the Panthers slowly pulled in front once more, this time by five, forcing the Eagles to burn another timeout. FGCU scored the next point to get within four, but that would be the closest it would come to catching the FIU as the Panthers took the second set 25-16.
 
With the match tied at 1-1, FIU jumped out to an early 3-0 lead to open the third. The Panthers led the entire way until Florida Gulf Coast slowly crept back in the set. With the score set at 13-10, FGCU used a 7-2 run to pull ahead, forcing FIU to use a timeout. After the break, the Eagles continued to charge eventually taking the third set 25-18.
 
Despite soaring off to an early lead, FIU could not stop the balanced FGCU offensive attack as it posted 19 kills against three errors on 49 attempts for a .327 hitting percentage. The Eagles took the fourth and final set 25-21 and won the match 3-1. 
 
FIU returns home to conclude C-USA action and wrap up its 2014 campaign on Sunday afternoon, with a 1 p.m. ET, match against Louisiana Tech.
 
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/.