MOBILE, Ala. (September 3, 2016) – The FIU volleyball team (2-4) salvaged a trip to Mobile, Alabama with a Day Two victory over Southeastern Louisiana, 3-2 (25-17, 20-25, 25-21, 21-25, 15-11). In a match that lasted nearly two and a half hours, FIU fought off the Lady Lions (1-5) in a five-set nail bitter.
 
The Panthers took the first set by a score of 25-17, to take the early 1-0 lead. The team was led by junior Mariana Dal Pozzo with four kills on nine attempts (.333). Defensively, freshman Helene Thelle led the way in digs with five for the set and 13 for the afternoon. With only four errors in the first set, FIU hit a respectable .258, holding the Lady Lions to a .067 clip.
 
Southeastern Louisiana responded in the second set, tying the game up after a 25-20 victory. The loss was attributed to FIU's struggles offensively, only hitting a .077 percentage. Dal Pozzo and junior Taija Thomas were able to challenge SLU with three kills apiece.
 
In the third set, redshirt freshman Lina Bernier lit up for FIU to give the Panthers a 2-1 lead on the match (25-21). Bernier had six kills on eight attempts, not having a single error in the set. Senior Katie Hogan contributed five kills of her own to go along with two blocks.
 
Once again, hitting efficiency plagued the Panthers in the fourth set, hitting .062, causing them to drop, 25-21. Thomas led the set with four kills. She would end the afternoon with 15 kills to lead all players and marking an FIU career high for her.
 
In the fifth and deciding set, FIU clinched a back-and-forth game, 15-11. Thomas led the final charge with four kills on seven attempts (.571).
 
For the match, Hogan and Bernier each had their first double-doubles of the season. Junior Mariana De Paula Silva reached a season high of 41 assists and was one dig shy of her own double-double. The Panthers led SLU in kills, hitting percentage, assists, digs and blocking. FIU combined for 15 total blocks, the most this season.
 
The Panthers will be back in action next Friday, September 9, to face Nicholls State as part of the UNF Invitational. FIU will be back on Lime Court on September 30 to host conference rival, Florida Atlantic.

#####
 
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/.