Miami, Fla. - The FIU women's volleyball team played its home opener Tuesday evening at Ocean Bank Center after beginning the season with nine consecutive matches on the road.
The Panthers are now 1-9 on the season after getting swept 3-0 (23-25, 19-25, 21-25) by Florida Gulf Coast University.
The Panthers had their most competitive performance in the opening set but the Eagles still edged out a win 25- 23. FGCU never took full control of the first set and their biggest lead was only four points.
In the second set, the Panthers put up an impressive comeback early on. FGCU came out strong and built a 4-1 lead. FIU rallied and went on an 8-1 run, forcing FGCU's coaching staff to call a timeout.
The Panthers' 9-5 lead was their biggest during the second set, but they were unable to hold it. The Eagles chipped at the FIU advantage before deadlocking the score at 14-14.
FGCU's defense clamped down after the second set was tied. The Eagles only allowed FIU to score five points the rest of the way. Service errors proved costly in the second set and FGCU pulled away to win 25-19. FIU finished the match with eight service errors.
Freshman Madison Morgan continued to be a mainstay in the starting lineup and is getting valuable experience. Morgan led FIU against FGCU with nine kills and is now fourth on the team with 60.
The Eagles closed out the Panthers in the third set 25-21. Alyssa Wissinger Jade Sadeiko both finished second on the team with seven kills. Sarah Nading ran the offense for the Panthers and finished with a team-leading 30 assists. She now has 231 this season.
The Panthers hit .212 (39-17-104), while FGCU had a .299 (44-15-97) clip.
UP NEXT
FIU will have a few days off this week until it hits the road again this weekend at the Rutgers Invitational from Sept. 17-18 in Piscataway, NJ. The Panthers will open with a matchup against Princeton University on Saturday, Sept. 17, slated for a 1 p.m. ET start.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Instagram (@FIUVolleyball), Twitter (@FIUVolleyball), and Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUVolleyball) for all the latest Women's Soccer news.
General athletic news can also be found at @FIUSports on Facebook and @FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram.
