HUNTINGTON, West Virginia (October 11, 2016) – The FIU volleyball team (7-12, 1-4 in C-USA) fell to Marshall in straight sets, 3-0 (26-24, 25-17, 25-13) on Tuesday night. The loss drops the Panthers' conference record to 1-4 on the year.
 
FIU was led by senior Katie Hogan, as is usually the case. Hogan recorded 10 kills and 10 digs to mark her seventh double-double of the season and her first against a Conference USA opponent. Junior Jennifer Ene also contributed with seven kills on a .375 hitting percentage. Ene also recorded her 44^th career solo block, tying her with 1994-alum Jennifer Marek for third all-time in school history. Ene is now only one away from tying second (Kiki Okeke – 45).
 
The Panthers began the match leading Marshall in a close set for a majority of it. FIU hit over .200 for most of the set, but multiple errors near the end dropped it to a .189 in the 24-26 defeat. Five Panthers were involved in the offense, combining for 13 kills in the set. Freshman Sophia Sires, in her third consecutive start and fifth for the season, led in assists with 12 in the opening set. Sires ended the night with 27.
 
With the close defeat, FIU lost nearly all of its momentum to begin the second set. The Panthers were able to rally back, but too late into the set. The Thundering Herd took a 2-0 lead in the match with the 25-17 victory. Junior Tia Clay, in her third start of the season, led the team in the second set with three kills. FIU hit a -.065 for the set, a major drop off from the first game.
 
In the third set, Marshall ran away with the match, taking it in straight sets after the 25-13 win. FIU went to Hogan, who produced five kills on a .400 hitting percentage and added five digs as well. On the evening, redshirt freshman Lina Bernier posted 14 digs to lead the defense on both sides of the court, two shy of her season high and three of her career high.
 
The Panthers will head to Charlotte on Friday, October 14 as part of a three-game road trip. First serve from Dale F. Halton Arena is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. (ET).

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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/.