Match Details
Rice 3, FIU 0
Records: FIU 2-9, 1-4 C-USA, Rice 14-5, 4-1 C-USA
Sunday, October 8 | 2 p.m. | Houston | Tudor Fieldhouse

The Basics

-        FIU played another two tight sets, but could not overcome the Rice defense in a 3-0 loss (25-17, 25-23, 26-24) in Houston Sunday afternoon. FIU drops to 2-9 overall, 1-4 in Conference USA contests. Rice is now 14-5, 4-1 in league matches.

-        With two more sets within the minimum two points, that brings FIU's season total to 14 sets (out of 40 total) to within two points.

-        Sophomore libero Helene Thelle (Tolvsrod, Norway) tied her career-high, set on Friday at home, with 20 digs in the loss.  

-        Junior Margherita Bianchin (Traviso, Italy) had her sixth double-double of the season, with 10 kills and 12 digs. The team was led offensively by senior Taija Thomas (Scarborough, Ontario, Canada), who had 12 kills.

-        Freshman setter Molly Feldmeth (South Pasadena, California) dished out 23 assists in the loss.   

Stat of the Match
The team stats were mostly even, save for the Rice defense, which led in digs 62-49, the statistical difference in the contest.

Next Up
FIU plays three home games this week, starting Tuesday night in a non-conference homes contest against FGCU. FIU will host two conference games, Friday night against Charlotte and Sunday afternoon versus WKU.

For volleyball ticket information, contact the FIU Ticket Office at 305-FIU-GAME or log onto www.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 softball 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 eight different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including Lime Court at FIU Arena and Riccardo Silva Stadium.
 
About FIU: Florida International University is classified by Carnegie as a "R1: Doctoral Universities - Highest Research Activity" and recognized as a Carnegie Community Engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as business, engineering, computer science, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU contributes almost $9 billion each year to the local economy and is ranked second in Florida in Forbes Magazine's "America's Best Employers" list. FIU graduates are consistently among the highest paid college graduates in Florida and are among the leaders of public and private organizations throughout South Florida. 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 with multiple state-of-the-art research facilities including the Wall of Wind Research and Testing Facility, FIU's Medina Aquarius Program and the Advanced Materials Engineering Research Institute.  FIU has awarded more than 220,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, the Miami Beach Urban Studios, and Tianjin, China. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and more than 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.