MIAMI — FIU's volleyball program picked up its first Conference USA (CUSA) victory on Friday evening, defeating Kennesaw State 3-1 inside the Ocean Bank Convocation Center.
After dropping the opening set, the Panthers (3-19, 1-8 CUSA) stormed back with three-straight set victories to down the Owls (9-13, 6-5 CUSA). FIU racked up 58 kills, its most in a four-set match this season, and hit a season-high .294.
The Panthers dropped the first 25-23, but won sets two, three and four by scores of 25-19, 25-23 and 25-23, respectively.
Jillian Huckabey delivered another impressive performance with 19 kills to lead the Panther attack, hitting .378 on 37 attempts. Courtney O'Brien contributed offensively as well with 14 kills and added 14 digs on the defensive end.
Anna Feldkamp was effective in the match with nine kills in support and four block assists. Fellow middle blocker Madison Morgan matched a season-high with seven kills, hitting .545.
In the first frame, the Panthers tied the set at 23-all, but Kennesaw scored the final two points for a 25-23 win. The Panthers responded with early momentum in set two, ahead 13-8 after a Huckabey kill. Emily Matias finished off a one-sided frame, 25-19, to even the match at 1-all.
In the third, Huckabey put FIU ahead 20-19, but KSU tied it up at 23-all. Savannah Cook went back to her top options, O'Brien and Huckabey, for back-to-back kills to end the third, 25-23.
The Panthers were down 13-6 in the fourth set, but mounted a furious comeback. Huckabey capped a 13-6 run with a kill to tie it at 19-all, of which O'Brien assisted.
With the score at 23-23, Huckabey picked up a kill and an Owl attack sailed out of bounds to cap the victory.
Both teams scored the exact same amount of points in the contest and 3-of-4 frames were separated by just two points.
FIU and Kennesaw met for the first time as CUSA opponents in this matchup. The Owls are first-year conference members as of 2024-25.
UP NEXT
The Panthers take on the Owls again tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 26 at 1 p.m.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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