Game Details
FIU 3, Rice 1
FIU (17-11, 9-5 C-USA), Rice (21-6, 12-2 C-USA)
Saturday, Nov. 10, 2018 | 1 p.m.
Miami, Florida | Ocean Bank Convocation Center
 
The Basics
- The FIU volleyball team held on for its third-straight win on Saturday, with a 3-1, victory over Rice in the regular season finale for both schools. The Panthers improve to 17-11 on the year and 9-5 in Conference play, while Rice, the C-USA regular season champions drop to 21-6 overall and 12-2 in league play. FIU's 17 wins is the most since winning 21 during the 2011 campaign (21-9), while its nine conference wins equals its most in the last seven seasons. The Panthers went 9-7 in Conference USA in during the 2015 season.
 
- FIU held a 2-0 lead after two sets, winning the first, 26-24, and the second set, 25-22, but the Owls came back in the third set behind a .359 hitting percentage, it's best for the match, to hand the Panthers a 25-18 setback and cut the match lead to 2-1.
 
- The Panthers pulled out to a 7-2 lead in the fourth set, however the Owls used a 9-3 run to cut the FIU lead to one, 11-10, and then eventually tied it up at 18-all. Rice cut the lead to one five times the rest of the way, however could never get over the hump to take the lead.
 
- The Panthers had big-time production offensively and defensively in the win. Margherita Bianchin (Venice, Italy) and Abbie Hughes (Mason, Ohio) both recorded triple-doubles. Bianchin, posted her fifth of the season with 11 kills, 10 assists, and 11 digs, while Hughes logged her first career triple-double with 11 kills, 33 assists and 16 digs. Nina Petranovic (Polzela, Slovenia) has 14 kills and Ronja Klinger (Frauental, Austria) had a a double-double with 10 kills and 11 digs. Lina Bernier (San Juan, Puerto Rico) had 20 digs on the afternoon.
 
               1             2             3             4             F                           
FIU         26          25           18           25           3            
RICE       24          22          25           22           1            
              
Up Next
The Panthers now head to the Conference USA Tournament, Nov. 16-18, in Huntington, West Virginia. Matchups and match times will be announced later in the weekend.

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