BOCA RATON, Fla. (October 28, 2016) – The FIU volleyball team (8-16, 2-8 in C-USA) fell to Florida Atlantic (13-10, 8-1 in C-USA) in straight sets (25-18, 25-11, 25-15) on Friday night. The loss marks the second against the Owls this season and the eighth in Conference USA play.
 
In the first set, the Panthers hit a .111 hitting percentage to give up an 18-25 loss. Redshirt freshman Lina Bernier posted three kills and three digs in the set to lead the team. Junior Jennifer Ene recorded four blocks in the set for a team total of six. Although, Florida Atlantic did not post a single block in the set, their .176 hitting percentage was enough to overcome the Panther blocking front.
 
Offensive struggles continued in the second set, resulting in an 11-25 loss for FIU, giving up a 0-2 deficit. For the set, the Panthers hit a -.071. The Owls in comparison hit .500 for the set. Ene led the team offensively with two kills and a .200 hitting efficiency.
 
The third set was not much of an improvement for the Panthers, recording eight kills and the same number of errors for the set. FIU fell, 15-25 to drop the match in straight sets for the second time this season to the Owls. Ene once again led the team in the set with four kills on four tries. Senior Katie Hogan led the way defensively with five digs.
 
The Panthers will be back in action next weekend to face UTEP on Friday, November 4 before heading to UTSA for an afternoon match on Sunday, November 6.

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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/.