Two game road test ends with losses

Stefano Rivera/Contributing Writer

After defeating its rival, Florida Atlantic University, at home on Sunday, Sept. 20, the FIU women’s volleyball team faced a tough, two-game road test as part of its Conference USA schedule. The Panthers traveled to Rice University on Friday, Sept. 25 and Western Kentucky University on Sunday, Sept. 27, looking to improve on their 8-4 (2-0 C-USA) record.

The Panthers played a hard-fought match against Rice, but ended up falling in three sets with scores of 9-25, 16-25 and 24-26. The team failed to reach double-digit points in a set for the first time this season, after only scoring nine in the first set. Overall, the team finished with a hitting percentage of .037 and 24 errors, while only tallying 28 kills.

The Panthers were led by Senior, Lucia Castro, who finished with 10 kills and 14 digs, which brought her double-double total to six this season. Fellow Senior, Adriana McLamb, also looked impressive with 10 digs and Freshman, Katie Friesen, collected 16 assists in the match.

The Owls posted impressive stats all around the board, finishing with 39 kills, only 14 errors, and a hitting percentage of .250. They also doubled the team’s block total with 12 for the match. With this win, the Owls improve to 11-4 for the season and start 1-0 in C-USA play.

The Panthers then traveled to WKU, to complete the second half of the two-game road trip, on Sunday, Sept. 27. The team tried to rally back from its disappointing defeat against Rice; however, it fell once again. The Hilltoppers defeated the Panthers 25-21, 26-24 and 25-15, for their second-straight three-set loss.

Once again, Castro and McLamb led the Panthers throughout the match, collecting nine digs each. Senior, Gloria Levorin, and Sophomore, Tia Clay, combined for 12 kills and Freshman, Dominique Dodd, finished the match with 14 assists, a career-high.

Overall, the Panthers struggled to find their groove hitting the ball, posting a .092 hitting percentage and committing 24 errors. With this loss, the team falls to 8-6 (2-2 C-USA) and has dropped four of its last five games.

WKU finished the match with a .229 hitting percentage, 37 kills and only 13 errors. Playing a very safe game, the Hilltoppers avoided costly errors and got the better of the Panther defense. The Hilltoppers improve to 15-2 (3-0 C-USA) and are proving to be one of the top teams in the C-USA.

The Panthers will return home and host the next four games, three of which are against C-USA competitors. They will host Marshall University on Friday, Oct. 2, University of Texas at El Paso on Sunday, Oct. 4, Florida Gulf Coast University on Tuesday, Oct. 6 and University of North Carolina at Charlotte on Friday, Oct. 9.