Tallahassee, Fla. – No. 14 FIU (16-9) goes 2-2 at the FSU Unconquered Invite, beating the University of North Alabama and conference foe University of Alabama - Birmingham.
Day One
The Panthers started off the invite right, beating UNA, 5-0 and starting 1-0 in the event. Four out of five FIU pairs won in straight sets, starting with juniors Zoe Cahill and Maria Vinatea, who won 24-22, while on court four sophomore Kendra Brown and graduate student Lauren Huggins won, 21-17 then, 21-19. Junior Zuzanna Bielak, paired with graduate student Alice Pratesi, continued the trend on court three, claiming victory 21-16 then 23-21. Junior Lisa Luini and graduate student Lucie Pokorna handled their competition in the first set, 21-9, but dropped their second set before taking the point for FIU in the third set with a 15-10 win. Finally, the Panthers' top pair in Giada Bianchi and Reka Orsi Toth won in straight sets, 21-12 and 21-10.
In their second match of day one, FIU faced off against the No. 4 team in the country in FSU. The Panthers fell 4-1, with their lone win coming in court 1 to Giada Bianchi and Reka Orsi Toth due to a disqualification of the FSU pair.
Day Two
FIU began day two of the invite against No. 10 LMU, who FIU had beaten earlier in the season, 3-2. This time, LMU prevailed, winning 3-2 over the Panthers. Lisa Luini paired with Alice Pratesi continue to be a force on court two, beating the LMU pair in straight sets 21-18 and 21-17. On court one, FIU's top pair in Giada Bianchi and Reka Orsi Toth continue to prove they are one of the best pairs in the country, beating LMU's top pair in three sets. The FIU duo dropped the first sets before winning the next two 21-18 and 15-11.
The Panthers ended the event on a high note, taking down conference opponent and FIU head coach Terri Del Conte's previous school University of Alabama Birmingham, 4-1. Zoe Cahill and Hania Taduran take down their opponent on court five, winning the first set before falling in the second, and prevailing in the third set 15-13 to gain the point for FIU*. On court three, Zuzanna Bielak and Lucie Pokorna prevailed in straight sets, with both scores being 21-19. On court two, Lisa Luini and Alice Pratesi dropped their first set before winning the next two 21-18 and 15-11. Finally on court one, Giada Bianchi and Reka Orsi Toth won in three sets to secure a dominant CUSA victory.
*The score for the match between FIU and UAB was reported incorrectly, with the court 5 match being scored wrong. FIU won the match, with the final set being 15-13 in favor of the Panthers. A new results document will be published once one is provided.
UP NEXT
The Panthers will travel to Boca to participate in the FAU Invite in their final event before the CUSA Championships. FIU will face off against Tulane, South Carolina, Stetson and FAU.
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