Box Score (PDF)
BROOKINGS, S.D. (Sept. 13, 2014) – The FIU volleyball team suffered a 3-1 (25-27, 25-20, 18-25, 23-25) loss to Iowa in its final match of the SDSU Challenge Saturday morning from Frost Arena. With the loss, the Panthers fall to 3-7 on the year, while the Hawkeyes improve to 7-2.
FIU got a team-high 11 kills from
Lucia Castro, while senior
Martyna Gluchowicz chipped in with nine.
Gloria Levorin had five kills and
Anabela Sataric led the team with 30 of the team's 35 assists. Castro also led the Panthers with 18 digs to register her second consecutive and fourth double-double on the season. Gluchowicz also contributed double-digit digs with 13 and
Jennifer Ene had a career-high eight total blocks (assisted).
The opening set was back and forth to start, as the score was tied at 11-11 midway through the set. After an Iowa attack error tied the score at 11, FIU put the foot on the gas to score four straight points, eventually taking a 16-12 lead. The Hawkeyes, however, did not go down quietly as they went on 5-1 run, tying the match at 17-17. Iowa tied the set four more times, and with the score at 25-25, FIU was issued both a yellow and red card to give the Hawkeyes the one-point advantage. Iowa closed out the frame with a big block up front and took the set, 27-25.
FIU quickly rebounded, starting the second set off with a 15-5 offensive attack. The Panthers took advantage of multiple Hawkeye serving and attack errors and led by as many as 12; however, Iowa would not go down quietly as it went on a 15-9 run to pull within four points. The Panthers closed the set with a Castro kill, tying the match at 1-1.
The Hawkeyes controlled the third set from start to finish as they took an early 7-3 lead. The score remained between three and four points, but the Hawkeyes quickly jumped out to an 11-point lead. FIU closed the gap, but could not overcome its early deficit falling 25-18.
The fourth set opened with both teams exchanging points as the early moments featured four ties and three lead changes. With the Panthers down one point, they went on 5-0 run to pull ahead by four. Iowa was forced to call timeout as FIU gained a 10-4 advantage. Following the break, the Hawkeyes slowly crawled back with to get within two. With the score 22-19, Iowa went on a 6-1 run to take the fourth set and the match.
The Panthers open their home slate on Wednesday, Sept. 17, when they face in-state rival Florida Atlantic. First serve is set for 6 p.m.
Tickets for the 2014 FIU volleyball season are on sale and fans can purchase their tickets by calling the FIU ticket office 305-FIU-GAME or by logging onto
www.FIUSports.com.
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).
#
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, visit http://www.fiu.edu/Box Score (PDF)
