Game Details
UTSA 3, FIU 2
FIU (12-7, 4-2 C-USA), UTSA (13-5, 5-1 C-USA)
Friday, Oct. 12, 2018 | 8 p.m. ET
San Antonio, Texas | UTSA Convocation Center
 
The Basics
- In a meeting between two of the top teams in Conference USA, FIU and UTSA showed just how evenly matched each program is, however it was the Roadrunners that pulled out a hard-fought 3-2 (23-25, 25-15, 25-22, 22-25, 15-9) decision on Friday night at the UTSA Convocation Center. The Panthers drop to 12-7 on the year and 4-2 in C-USA, while UTSA improves to 13-5 overall and 5-1 in league action. Each team came into Friday's meeting with matching 4-1 conference records and tied for third in league standings.
 
- Nina Petranovic (Polzela, Slovenia) led the Panthers with 17 kills while Margherita Bianchin (Venice, Italy) and Ronja Klinger (Frauental, Austria) were just behind with 15 and 14, respectively. Bianchin and Klinger also recorded double-doubles with 16 and 10 digs apiece. Abbie Hughes (Mason, Ohio) (43 assists, 23 digs) and Lina Bernier (San Juan, Puerto Rico) (26 digs, 12 assists) also logged double-doubles.
 
- The Panthers fell behind early in the first set, 7-3, yet re-grouped to tough out a 25-23 come-from-behind victory. UTSA, however, jumped on top of the Panthers again, in set number two, but this time didn't let up as the Roadrunners pulled away for a 25-15 victory to even the match up. FIU was held to a .167 hitting percentage after hitting at a .283 clip in the first set.
 
- FIU led in both the third and fourth sets, however could only pull out a win in one. The Panthers led by as many as five, 13-8, in the third only to have UTSA storm back and win 25-22. In the fourth, FIU led 7-3, but the Roadrunners  scored eight of the next 12 points to tie the set up at 11-all. From that point on neither team led by more than three points as the Panthers eventually took the fourth set, 25-22.
 
- In the fifth set each team exchanged the lead with neither leading by more than two. With UTSA leading 10-8, the Roadrunners went on a 5-1 run to close the set and match out.
 
- FIU's five match contest against UTSA was just its fifth of the season, with the Panthers dropping to 2-3 in matches that go the distance.
 
               1             2             3             4             5             F                           
FIU         25          15           22           25            9             2
UTSA     23          25           25           22           15            3
 
Up Next
The Panthers close out their Lone Star State road trip against UTEP on Oct. 14, at UTEP at 2 p.m. ET, before returning home to face Southern Miss on Oct. 21, at 1 p.m.

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