Piscataway, N.J. -  The FIU women's volleyball team closed out the first day of the Rutgers Tournament with a commanding 3-0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-22) sweep over Rutgers University on Saturday evening. 

The Panthers (2-10) won the first set against the Scarlet Knights in convincing fashion 25-18. FIU came out strong and took a 7-0 lead. The early lead was too much for Rutgers to overcome and the Panthers took care of business in the opening set winning 25-18. 

FIU took a 2-0 lead after winning the second set easily 25-17. The defense improved from the first game of the day and held Rutgers under 20 points in the first two sets. Libero Katie Turner took charge on the defensive end and led the Panthers with 17 digs.

In the second set, the Panthers' offense couldn't be stopped. FIU went on a 5-0 run to take a 12-10 lead and they never looked back. Later in the same set, they went on a 7-0 run to secure the win 25-18. 

The third set was the closest contest of the entire match but FIU pulled through. Both teams were trading points to start off the set until Rutgers took a 6-5 lead. The Panthers limited the damage and regained the lead with a 4-0 run. 

The Scarlet Knights went on a scoring run of their own and took an 18-15 lead. FIU regrouped after Head Coach Cristina Robertson called a timeout and went on another 4-0 run. With a 19-18 lead, FIU closed out the match by outscoring Rutgers 6-4 and earned their second win and first sweep of the season.

Junior Emily Meyer was locked in on both sides. She led FIU with 12 kills on an impressive .391 hit percentage and added seven digs. Senior Athina Dimitriadis also recorded double-digit kills with 10 of her own. She was a presence up front as well collecting three blocks. 

The offense looked sharp from all parts of the court. Those results can be attributed to Sarah Nading's ability to set up her teammates. She finished with an impressive total of 37 assists which led both teams. 

The Panthers hit .347 (44-10-98), while Rutgers had a .242 (35-11-99) clip. 

FIU dropped the first game of their doubleheader in three sets (19-25, 18-25, 17-25) earlier in the day against Princeton University. Dimitriadis led the Panthers with 11 kills and was the only player on the team to finish with double digit kills in both matches. Madison Morgan was not far behind with 10 kills (.308). Nading and Camila De La Rosa shared playing time as the setter in the opening match. De La Rosa finished with a team-high 15 assists. 

UP NEXT
FIU will close out the Rutgers Tournament tomorrow morning against Fairleigh Dickinson University. The match starts at 10:00 a.m. ET and will stream on the Big Ten plus network.  

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