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ORLANDO, Fla. (Aug. 30, 2014) – The FIU Volleyball team (1-2, 0-0 C-USA) opened the second day of the Radisson UCF Invitation with 3-0 (27-25, 25-13, 25-18) loss to Eastern Kentucky.

"Our team is one of the most talented teams that I have seen," head coach Rita Buck-Crockett. "Every single player is capable of being a point maker. Once we get everything together (our passing and blocking), we can be a team that can win our Conference."
 
Junior Gloria Levorin and freshman Lea Montavon led the Panthers offensively with six kills apiece. Sophomore Anabela Sataric recorded 13 assists, while junior Maria Coukoulis and senior Martyna Gluchowicz added eight and seven digs, respectively. Freshmen Alex Lilliquist and Tia Clay provided a spark off the bench as they combined for five kills of the Panthers' 10 kills in the second set.

FIU led early in the opening set, but an 8-4 run by EKU run gave them a 12-9 edge. After an FIU time out, back-to-back Gluchowicz kills and a McLamb ace put the Panthers within a point. The two teams traded points as the set continued to remain extremely tight throughout. The most any team led in the first set was by four points when the Colonels took the lead 22-18 late in the frame. Following another FIU timeout, the Panthers mounted a 6-1 run to pull ahead, 24-23. FIU held set point two times, but could not hold on as Eastern Kentucky eventually took the first set, 27-25. 

The Colonels started the second right where they left off, as they opened frame with a 5-0 lead. Eastern Kentucky never trailed and would lead by as many as 12 points. Attack and serving errors plagued the Panthers, as they posted seven attack errors and five serving errors. EKU hit an impressive .429 (9-0/21), while holding FIU to a .103 (10-7/29) mark in the set.

The third set mirrored the second as Eastern Kentucky pulled ahead early 4-0, but FIU crept back thanks to back-to-back Gluchowicz aces. With the Panthers down, 7-6, EKU mounted a 6-2 run to take a 13-8 lead. From there, the Panthers would get within two points but could not get any closer.
FIU wraps up play in the Radisson UCF Invitational later tonight when it takes on UCF 7 p.m. ET at the Venue. The match can be viewed for free via an online webcast by clicking HERE.

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. Its colleges and schools offer more than 180 bachelor¹s, master¹s and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida¹s 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. FIU has awarded 200,000 degrees and enrolls 54,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visithttp://www.fiu.edu/