DURHAM, N.C. — FIU's volleyball program picked up its first victory of 2024 in dramatic fashion Sunday afternoon with a five-set win over Davidson to close out the Duke Invitational.
The Panthers (1-6) went down 2-0 in the match before taking the final three sets to secure the victory. FIU outlasted Davidson (2-4) in the third set, winning 28-26, to gain momentum in the match.
The Panthers then led for much of the fourth set, winning 25-23, and then completed the comeback with a 15-12 win in the fifth. Jillian Huckabey fueled the offense with 21 kills in the match, hitting .348, while adding 15 digs. The freshman outside hitter matched her season-high in kills and recorded her second double-double of the season.
Anna Feldkamp hit .357 and posted 13 kills in the middle, adding 3.0 blocks. Setter Savannah Cook had eight kills on 10 attempts and a career-high 54 assists. Mandi Morioka had 23 digs, her most this season.
Madison Morgan and Kindly Kilar each made solid contributions with seven kills each. Courtney O'Brien added six kills and six digs.
FIU led 18-17 in a back-and-forth set one after back-to-back kills from Feldkamp and O'Brien. Davidson scored eight of the final 11 points to take the opening frome, 25-20.
In the second set, Huckabey brought FIU even at 9-all with a kill. Davidson then built a three-point advantage ahead 14-11 and maintained that margin to the finish line, winning 25-22.
The third set changed the entire match as FIU fended off several match points down the stretch. The Panthers got three-straight kills to finish off the frame, 28-26, two from Huckabey and one from Feldkamp.
FIU trailed again late in the fourth, down 20-18. The Panthers then ripped off five-straight kills to gain the advantage in the fourth frame. Huckabey finished off set four with a kill to send the match to a deciding fifth frame.
In the fifth set, Huckabey had a service ace to put FIU up 7-4. From there, Davidson tied it at 9-all, but a three-point run from the Panthers put them back ahead 12-9. Julia Thomas had the match's final two kills for FIU, winning set five, 15-12.
UP NEXT
FIU takes on Wake Forest at 10 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 13 to open up the South Carolina Invitational in Columbia, S.C.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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