FORT MYERS, Florida (September 20, 2016) - The FIU volleyball team (6-8) fell to Florida Gulf Coast, 3-1 (23-25, 25-14, 25-20, 25-20) in their final non-conference match of the 2016 season. The loss makes six straight victories for the Eagles in the series.
 
The Panthers were led offensively by senior Katie Hogan with a quiet 13 kills on the evening. Redshirt freshman Lina Bernier led the defense with 11 digs. Junior Jennifer Ene moved up in the record books and had her first big offensive game of the season.
 
FIU began the match with tremendous energy, clawing back from a 0-5 deficit to take the first set, 25-23. The Panthers were led by juniors Taija Thomas with five kills and Ene who went four-for-five. Defensively, Hogan led the team in digs with five, but it was junior Mariana Dal Pozzo who led in hustle, sacrificing her body to ensure the set for the Panthers. FIU held the Eagles to a .091 hitting percentage.
 
The Panthers this season have been a very good second-set team, but could not gather any momentum against Florida Gulf Coast, dropping the set, 14-25. In the set, Ene recorded her 198^th career block assist, tying Rio Olympian and 2009 alum Yarimar Rosa for eighth in program history. It would be her only assisted block of the match. The Panthers' hitting percentage for the set was a -.077 compared to the first set's .289 clip.
 
In the third set, FIU fell 25-20 to trail, 2-1 in the match. Although the Panthers' hitting percentage improved to .200, it was still not enough to match the Eagles' .275. The FIU blocking front stifled the Eagles' offense early in the match, but in the third set, the Panthers had no blocks.
 
FIU's offense took a big step in the right direction in the fourth set, but the Eagles were still able to manage a 25-20 victory. The offense was led by Hogan, who ended the match with 13 kills and Ene, with a season-high 10 kills on a .500 attack percentage. Junior Brianna Gogins ended the night with nine blocks, breaking her career-high of eight.
 
The Panthers' next match won't be until Sunday, September 25 when they begin Conference USA play at North Texas. First serve against the Mean Green will be at 2 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/.