MIAMI (Aug. 28, 2015) – Freshmen
Lina Bernier and
Katie Friesen had stellar collegiate debuts during the first night of the 2015 Panther Challenge. Despite double-doubles by the first-year Panthers, the FIU volleyball team dropped a 3-1 decision to the North Florida Ospreys from Lime Court at FIU Arena.
Bernier tallied 10 kills and recorded 17 digs, while Friesen notched 42 assists to go with 16 digs.
Also notching double-digits in kills were senior
Lucia Castro (15) and sophomore
Jennifer Ene (12).
North Florida took an early 1-0 lead with a 25-23 first-set victory. The Panthers responded by out-hitting the Ospreys, .231 to .069, taking set two, 25-17. Set three was a back-and-forth affair which went in favor of UNF, 26-24. The Ospreys clinched the match with a 25-18 win in set number four.
For the match, FIU hit .178, while North Florida registered a clip of .209. The Ospreys notched 13.0 total blocks, five more than the Panthers' 8.0. Ene recorded five blocks on the night – four solo.
The Panthers return to action for Day Two of the 2015 Panther Challenge. Action begins for FIU at noon versus the Alabama A&M.
Admission to all FIU matches is free to the public.
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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/.
