STARKVILLE, Mississippi (September 16, 2016) – The FIU volleyball team (5-6) split Day One of the Maroon Classic falling in a back-and-forth game, 3-2 (25-21, 23-25, 25-20, 22-25, 15-9) to Mississippi State. The Panthers overcame the loss to take out Eastern Illinois in a 3-0 (25-20, 25-21, 25-21) sweep, their first sweep of the year.
 
FIU played their best game of the 2016 season against the SEC's Mississippi State (6-5). The Panthers were led senior Katie Hogan and redshirt freshman Lina Bernier. Hogan notched her fourth double-double of the season with 12 kills and 10 digs. Bernier was not too far away with 16 kills of her own, hitting .387 for the match and adding five digs to her stat line. FIU also received a boost off the bench from junior Brianna Gogins with a season-high six kills and career-high eight blocks.
 
As a team, FIU hit .266 for the match, well above their season average of .171. Mississippi State hit an even more impressive .302 for the match, but FIU's blocking front kept the game close at hand for nearly the entire game. The Panthers outblocked MSU, 13-8 and committed nine fewer overall errors than the Bulldogs.
 
"We are getting so much better," said Head Coach Rita Buck-Crockett. "We have to focus on taking care of the ball at crucial times and make sure we are aware of the momentum swings during the game. Our ball control is improving daily and when we combine those things with our athleticism, we will roll."
 
Buck-Crockett earned a stat of her own, going 1-1 in challenges. The NCAA added challenges to women's collegiate volleyball last offseason. In Mississippi State's first day with the new replay technology, Buck-Crockett added another first to her astounding resume.
 
Against Eastern Illinois (2-10), FIU claimed their first victory in the first set this season with a commanding 25-20 win. FIU was led by Hogan, who got yet another double-double (13 kills, 11 digs) making it her fourth in five games and her fifth of the season.
 
FIU took a step back offensively against Eastern Illinois, hitting only a .137 for the match, but trumping EIU's clip of .036. Along with Hogan, Bernier and junior Mariana Dal Pozzo all had double digit digs, giving FIU the commanding edge on defense. Gogins continued her momentum, adding five blocks for the game (two solo, three assists), making it the best day in her collegiate volleyball career.
 
The Panthers will be back in action tomorrow starting at 1 p.m. (ET). FIU will face Portland to kick off Day Two of the Maroon Classic and conclude with a match against Troy at 6 p.m. (ET). Both matches will have statistics streamed live on FIUSports.com.

#####
 
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).
 
#####
 
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/.