Panthers fall in first round of C-USA tourney

Stefano Rivera/Contributing Writer

The Florida International University women’s volleyball team (15-13) ended its season on Friday, Nov. 20, losing to the University of Texas at San Antonio Roadrunners in the first round of the Conference USA Tournament in San Antonio, Texas.

After winning the first set, the Panthers dropped the final three as the Roadrunners proved to be too much. The set scores were 25-21, 22-25, 20-25 and 19-25.

In the first set, the team took advantage of its stellar hitting percentage. The Panthers hit .452 and were able to spread the ball around to their hitters. Junior middle blocker, Katie Hogan, and sophomore middle blocker, Jennifer Ene, contributed with four kills each.

UTSA defeated the Panthers in the second set to tie the match. Throughout the set, the team held a five-point lead, but saw it slip away after committing three costly service errors towards the end of the set.

In the third set, the Panthers struggled to hit the ball, finishing with a hitting percentage of .067. The Roadrunners used a late run to take the set and a 2-1 lead.

In the final set, the Panthers found themselves up 7-2 early, but UTSA outscored them 23-12 down the stretch to take the match. The Roadrunners advance to the semi-final round and will face off against the sixth seed, University of Southern Mississippi.

Overall, the Panthers finished with a hitting percentage of .205, with 57 kills and 26 errors. The team only recorded seven blocks, compared to UTSA’s 12. Going into the match, FIU led the conference in blocks.

Although they lost, the Panthers had a healthy dose from their hitters. Hogan finished with 17 kills, Ene with 11 kills, senior outside hitter, Lucia Castro and sophomore outside hitter, Tia Clay, both with nine kills. Freshman setter, Katie Friesen, collected 30 assists and senior libero, Adriana McLamb, led the way defensively with 17 digs.

The Roadrunners posted similar stats, finishing with a hitting percentage of .252, with 54 kills and 19 errors. As a team, UTSA totalled six aces and gained several points off their 12 blocks.

Freshman setter, Amanda Gonzales, led the way for the Roadrunners. Gonzales distributed the ball evenly finishing with a match-high 44 assists. Three players posted double-figure kills, including junior outside hitter, Kasey Kiefer, who finished with a match-high 18 kills.

In a season that saw many ups and downs, the Panthers more than doubled their win total from a year ago when they finished with only seven wins. This improvement merits recognition and the team will try to improve on its success next season.