TAMPA, Fla. (Sept. 6, 2014) – In their final match of the USF Invitational, the FIU volleyball team (3-4, 0-0 C-USA) made quick work of the South Carolina State Lady Bulldogs (0-6), posting a 3-0 (25-13, 25-15, 25-18) victory in just 64 minutes. Leading the way for FIU was junior Lucia Castro, who had a match-high 12 kills on 24 attempts with just one error for a career-high .480 hitting percentage. Castro and fellow junior captain Gloria Levorin were named All-Tournament for the weekend.
 
The Panthers posted a .284 hitting percentage in the match, posting 37 kills while committing just 12 attacking errors in the three sets. FIU held South Carolina State to a .033 hitting percentage, including a -.125 mark in the first set, and recorded four blocks in the match. The Panthers also added nine service aces for the match.
 
Freshman Jennifer Ene had another outstanding match for the Panthers as she finished the three-set match with 10 kills on 15 attempts with one error for a career-high .600 hitting percentage. Fellow freshman Lea Montavon added six kills on 16 swings for a .312 mark, as the two freshmen combined for 16 kills and two errors on 31 attempts. Sophomore Anabela Sataric dished out a match-high 25 assists. Castro and freshman Alex Lilliquist led the Panthers with nine and eight digs, respectively. In addition, Ene posted a match-high four block assists.
 
FIU won the opening set 25-13 as Castro paced the Panthers with five kills in the set, leading the squad to a .200 hitting percentage. Leading 13-8, FIU went on 12-5 run to close out the set.
 
With the score tied at 6-6 in the second set, FIU went on a 14-7 run to open a commanding 21-13 lead, before closing the set with a 25-15 win. In the set, Montavon and Castro led the way with five kills each.
 
In the deciding set, FIU climbed to a 25-18 win and hit .371 to close out the Lady Bulldogs in straight sets. FIU got seven kills from Castro and four kills from Ene in the set. FIU had 15 kills and two errors on 35 attempts in the third set.
 
Next week, the Panthers head to Brookings, S.D., where they will take on North Dakota, South Dakota State and Iowa in the SDSU Challenge.
 
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, visit http://www.fiu.edu/