Weekend In Review: Volleyball defeats Marshall, UTEP

Katie Hogan had a career-high 19 kills in FIU indoor volleyball’s win over Marshall on Oct. 2

By Joel Delgado ’12 MS ’17 

The FIU indoor volleyball team snapped out of a recent funk with a pair of home victories over Conference USA opponents over the weekend.

The Panthers came into Friday’s match against Marshall having lost four of their last five matches, but used a strong start against the Thundering Herd to earn a 3-1 (25-17, 26-24, 20-25, 25-18) victory.

Three Panthers had double digit kills with middle blocker Katie Hogan leading the way with 19 kills, a career high. Lucia Castro added 14 kills of her own while Jennifer Ene had 11 kills.

Against UTEP on Oct. 4, the Panthers rolled to a 3-0 (25-19, 25-13, 25-23) sweep over the Miners to remain unbeaten in four conference matches at Lime Court at FIU Arena this season.

Castro led a balanced Panthers attack with 11 kills as the team finished the match with a .366 hitting percentage.

The Panthers are now 10-6 overall with a 4-2 record in Conference USA play and will host the FGCU Eagles at FIU Arena on Oct. 6. First serve is set for 7 p.m. and students can get in free with a valid student ID.

For more information on FIU indoor volleyball, go to FIUSports.com.

FOOTBALL

FIU football struggled to get their offense going on a chilly and overcast Saturday afternoon against UMass, stumbling to a 24-14 defeat in their first away game in the state of Massachusetts.

The Panthers fell behind just 37 seconds into the contest when UMass quarterback Blake Frohnapfel connected with receiver Marken Michel down the middle of the field for a 57-yard touchdown pass.

After falling behind 14-0 in the second quarter, FIU quarterback Alex McGough’s fade pass toward the back of the end zone was snatched in the air by receiver Thomas Owens to cut into the lead with 1:10 left in the first half.

But UMass was able to get into field goal range in the waning seconds of the half and set up a 48-yard field goal from Logan Laurent to give the Minutemen a 17-7 lead at halftime.

At the end of the third quarter, a one-yard rushing touchdown by FIU running back Alex Gardner capped off a 62-yard drive to cut the deficit to just three points.

But with 7:11 remaining in the game, Frohnhapel connected with Michel for another touchdown pass and the Panthers were unable to mount a comeback in the final minutes.

The Panthers (2-3, 0-1 C-USA) return home this upcoming weekend for a game against Conference USA foe UTEP on Oct. 10. Kickoff for the Panthers’ first conference home game is set for 12 p.m. at FIU Stadium and admission is free for all students with a valid student ID.

For more information about FIU football, go to FIUSports.com.

WOMEN’S SWIMMING AND DIVING

FIU swimming and diving opened up their season with wins over North Florida and Georgia Southern thanks to 11 individual first-place finishes in the North Florida Dual Meet.

The FIU swimming and diving team traveled upstate for the North Florida Dual Meet to open the season on Oct. 3 and dominated with 11 first-place finishes.

The three-team meet featured FIU, North Florida and Georgia Southern and the Panthers defeated both (168-90 over the Ospreys and 155-103 over the Eagles).

Senior Jessica Chadwick earned first-place finishes for the Panthers in the 100-yard backstroke, the 200-yard breaststroke and the 200 Individual Medley for the Panthers.

The Panthers will host their first meet of the season, the FIU Dual-A-Palooza, at the FIU Biscayne Bay Aquatic Center. The Panthers will face Rice on Oct. 16 and then Florida Atlantic and Miami on Oct. 17.

For more information on FIU women’s swimming and diving, go to FIUSports.com.

MEN’S SOCCER

All good things come to an end and FIU men’s soccer’s seven-game losing streak came to its end in a 1-0 loss to the visiting Charlotte Eagles on Oct. 3 at FIU Soccer Stadium.

The lone goal came from Charlotte forward Kyle Parker in the 26^th minute as he fired a shot that went off the crossbar and into the back of the net to give the Eagles the lead.

Despite outshooting the Eagles 13-5 in the second half, the Panthers failed to score the equalizer.

The Panthers are now 7-3 overall with a 2-1 record in C-USA play and will travel to Birmingham, Ala., for another conference match, this time against UAB on Oct. 10.

For more information on FIU men’s soccer, go to FIUSports.com

WOMEN’S SOCCER

A brief Texas road trip was not friendly for the FIU women’s soccer team. The Panthers were unable to pick up wins against Conference USA opponents Rice on Oc. 2 and North Texas on Oct. 4.

In Friday’s 4-2 loss to Rice, the Owls jumped on the scoreboard early with a goal in the second minute of play. FIU midfielder Scarlet Montoya, the reigning Conference USA Player of the Week, evened the score with her third goal of the season in the 19^th minute.

But the Owls scored three unanswered goals, digging the Panthers into a deficit they were unable to overcome.

Against the North Texas Mean Green on Oct. 4, a lone Mean Green goal by Rachel Holden in the 73^rd minute was enough to hand the Panthers a 1-0 loss.

The Panthers’ record now stands at 6-7 overall and 2-2 in C-USA play. They return home for a pair of home games at FIU Soccer Stadium against Southern Miss on Oct. 9 and Louisiana Tech on Oct. 11.

For more information on FIU women’s soccer, go to FIUSports.com.