MIAMI (November 6, 2015) – The FIU volleyball team (13-11, 7-6 in C-USA) fell to the Hilltoppers of Western Kentucky, 3-0 (18-25, 21-25, 15-25). Although FIU was swept, the Panthers looked good against the number 22 team in the nation. The match was led by senior Lucia Castro with 11 kills and 10 digs. It was Castro's 12th double-double of the season.
 
In the first set, the Hilltoppers took the early 1-0 lead after a 25-18 victory. The Panthers were led by freshman Katie Friesen who recorded four assists and four digs. Friesen also added two service aces to the set. The Panthers defense was good, posting four blocks in the set, but the offense could not hold up. FIU hit a -.081. The WKU hitting percentage (.188) was too large a difference to overcome for the Panthers.
 
FIU made it close in the second set, but ultimately lost 25-21 to give WKU a 2-0 lead. The hitting percentage of the Panthers improved significantly in the second set (.147). The same, however could be said for the Hilltoppers, who improved their percentage to .368. The disparity in the end proved once again too much for FIU.
 
The final set went the way of the Hilltoppers, giving them the match, 3-0 with the 25-15 victory. The Panthers made a small comeback in the middle of the set. Led by Castro who posted five kills and four digs, the comeback did not last for long. The Panther hit a .238 percentage in the final set.
 
"They are a very good team," explained Head Coach Rita Buck-Crockett. "They don't make mistakes and although we looked good tonight, we made a couple errors here and there. That was the difference."

The Panthers will host their final home match of the 2015 season this Sunday against the Mean Green of North Texas. FIU will be honoring its four seniors: Jovanna Santamaria, Adriana McLamb, Gloria Levorin, and Lucia Castro. First serve is set for 1 p.m.

Fans are encouraged to come early to catch the pre-game senior celebrations.

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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 Bank Field 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 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.Print Friendly Version