JACKSONVILLE, Ala.– FIU volleyball (14-9, 5-5 CUSA) did not let a marathon first set loss faze their momentum, rattling off three straight set wins to topple Jax State (3-19, 0-10) on Saturday afternoon.
While the Gamecocks hit .405 in the first set, FIU hung around for the majority, even when the team got down 20-17. A
Lana Sesar ace tied it at 21, and after Jax State got it to set point at 24-22, a
Teodora Skocajic ace and an error from the home team tied it up. FIU had it at set point on their side twice but was unable to close it as JSU won 30-28 in extras, despite 19 Panther kills.
FIU got going in the second set on offense, hitting .480, and the most important stretch for the team came trailing 14-13. An 8-1 run featuring a pair of Skocajic kills pushed FIU to a 21-15 advantage, and Sesar delivered an ace and a kill as FIU won it 25-18.
It was another over .300 set for FIU, and once again did not get going until they were in favor 14-13. An 11-1 run closed out the Gamecocks, with everyone getting involed - two
Jillian Huckabey kills, an
Ivona Lazovic dump, a pair of blocks and a card for the Gamecocks aided in this stretch as FIU won 25-14.
Trailing 17-13 in the fourth after a
Kindyl Kilar booking, FIU switched gears to gain control. The run after that extended to 8-1, with
Mariana Silva tying it on an ace and two mistakes by the home team made it 21-19. Skocajic added two more kills and Lazovic delivered some service pressure as FIU stole the fourth 25-23.
Four Panthers recorded 10 or more kills - Huckabey (16), Sesar (11),
Chiara Fabbrini (11) and Skocajic (10). Skocajic had an excellent day, hitting .692 (10-1-13) and recording three total blocks, joining
Rayne Williams (4), Sesar (3) and Fabbrini (3) with multiple blocks. Silva (26 ast.) recorded a career-high in that category, and
Marta Lazzarin had 15 digs and three aces to lead the team.
With the win, FIU extended its winning streak to four and got back to .500 (5-5) in conference play.
Up Next
FIU comes home to battle powerhouse Western Kentucky Halloween weekend.
Social Media
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