Match Details
FIU 3, Alcorn State 0
Records: FIU 1-3, Alcorn 0-7
Friday, September 1 | 4 p.m. | Nashville, Tenn. | Kean Hall

The Basics

-        FIU finally broke through for its first win of the season after two tight losses with a three-set win (25-23, 25-12, 25-13) over Alcorn State at the Tiger Invitational in Nashville, hosted by Tennessee State Volleyball. It was FIU's first three-set win since sweeping UAB at home last October 2, 2016.

-        The game was the collegiate debut for freshman setter Aleksandra Grigoreva (Moscow, Russia), who dished out 32 assists, collected eight digs, had four kills, assisted on a block and produced a service ace. The kills leader for the Panthers was Taija Thomas (Scarborough, Ontario, Canada), who posted a match-high 11, her second-straight contest to lead the Panthers in kills.

-        FIU got a pair of double-dig performances. Junior transfer Sheyanne Sullivan (Miami, Florida / Southwest Miami HS / Santa Fe CC) collected a match-high 12 digs, while sophomore Helene Thelle (Tolvsrød, Norway) had 10.

Stat of the Match
FIU hit for a season-high .298 attack percentage, with a season-low 12 errors. Senior Jennifer Ene (Carrolton, Texas) had seven kills and no errors on 13 attempts for a match-best .538 attack percentage. The Panthers were able to win serve back from Alcorn at a 66 percent clip, also a season-best mark.

The Match Was Won When…
"We had the match won when we started off the second set with more energy and confidence," said Thomas. Sullivan opened the second set serving five aces in a 10-0 FIU start to that frame. It was too much for the Braves to overcome in the blowout stanza.

From the Floor
"I see the team coming together, as we started with so many new players this season," said Thomas. "Molly (Feldmeth, the setter for the first three games) and Sasha (Grigoreva) are both excellent setters, and run the court with confidence, but we really benefitted more from Molly's offense today." Feldmeth started as an outside hitter in this contest, grabbing four kills and hitting for a .400 attack percentage.

Next Up
FIU will play a pair of contests Saturday, starting with a 10 a.m. tilt against former Sun Belt Conference foe New Orleans. FIU completes the weekend against the host Tigers, with first service scheduled for 4 p.m. from Nashville.

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/.