JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (September 10, 2016) – The FIU volleyball team (4-5) fell in straight sets to Mercer (25-18, 25-19, 25-20), but handed a 3-1 loss to North Florida (13-25, 25-21, 25-19, 25-20) to conclude Day Two of the Best Western Osprey Invite.
 
The Panthers began the day with an early morning matchup against Mercer, falling, 3-0 (25-18, 25-19, 25-20). FIU was led by none other than senior Katie Hogan with her third double-double of the season (14 kills, 11 digs). Hogan, who hit .312 for the match, led all players on the court in kills, points (14.5) and was only one dig shy of leading in that category too. Errors plagued FIU, resulting in a .194 attacking percentage for the match. Mercer hit .308 in comparison.
 
North Florida played host to the Panthers later in the day, taking the first set, 25-13. With the loss, FIU has yet to win a first set on the 2016 season.
 
The Panthers quickly regrouped in the second set, which has become a theme for FIU. They won the set, 25-21 to tie the match at one apiece. Seven Panthers recorded kills in the set, led by junior Mariana Dal Pozzo with three and a .750 hitting percentage. The FIU blocking unit showed why they finished ranked first in Conference USA in 2015. Juniors, Jennifer Ene and Brianna Gogins led the charge with three blocks apiece. Ene finished the match with a career-high 10 block assists. Gogins had five (two solo; three assists).
 
FIU kept the momentum through the third set, taking it, 25-19. Redshirt freshman Lina Bernier led the offense with four kills and a .429 hitting percentage. Although the Panthers only hit .139 for the set, they held North Florida to a -.030 clip.
 
The Panthers clinched the match in the fourth set, with a 25-20 victory. Gogins led the charge with three kills on four tries.
 
For the match, FIU held the Osprey to a .106 attack percentage. FIU stood out on the blocking front, out-blocking North Florida, 15-8. Junior Mariana De Paula Silva had her first FIU double-double, with 31 assists and 11 digs. Freshman Helene Thelle ended the match with four service aces and nine digs. For the weekend, Thelle had eight kills, seven aces and 16 digs. Thelle was named to the Best Western Osprey Invite All-Tournament Team.
 
FIU will be back in action next Friday, September 16 to face Mississippi State as part of the Maroon Classic in Starkville, Mississippi. The Panthers will play four matches over the course of two days. First serve against Mississippi State is set for 1:00 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/.