CHARLOTTE, N.C. (October 14, 2016) – The FIU volleyball team (7-13, 1-5 in C-USA) fell to Charlotte in straight sets (25-22, 25-19, 25-21) on Friday night. The loss makes it three-straight for the Panthers and gives Charlotte their first Conference USA victory of the season.
 
The first set was a game of runs, which ended in a 25-22 victory for the 49ers. Five Panthers had two or more kills, led by senior Katie Hogan, who nearly posted a double-double in only one set of work with seven kills and eight digs. Hogan led all players in kills and digs in the first set. As a team, FIU hit only a .167 percentage for the set and was outblocked by Charlotte 4-0.
 
Charlotte's momentum carried over to the second set, where they increased their lead to 2-0 with the 25-19 win. Hogan had four kills in the set, in a one-woman show. The Panthers were outhit .423-.111 and were held to only one block.
 
The third set began with a change at libero to reenergize the team, but resulted in a 21-25 loss. Freshman Helene Thelle put on the white jersey for the fourth time this season, recording four digs in the set, giving her six for the match. Junior Taija Thomas and Brianna Gogins led the offense with four kills apiece and Mariana Dal Pozzo had six digs to lead the defense.
 
Hogan earned her eighth double-double of the year with 13 kills and 13 digs. No player on the court had more kills or digs than Hogan on the night.
 
The Panthers will be back in action on Sunday, October 16 to face the top team in Conference USA. First serve against No. 25 WKU is set for 1 p.m. (ET) from E. A. Diddle Arena in Bowling Green, Kentucky.

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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/.