MIAMI – No. 17 FIU completed a dominant sweep of the FIU Invite on Saturday and Sunday, defeating Southern Miss. and Utah on Day 1, then taking down Palm Beach Atlantic and No. 12 Florida Atlantic on Day 2.
Day One
The Panthers began the tournament with a 4-1 win over Southern Mississippi. Katarina Drozd and Brianna Luoma got things started for FIU with straight-set victories on court four, winning 21-19 and 21-9. After Southern Miss. claimed a victory on court two, Julia Panko and Ola Chudzik put the Panthers back on track with a 21-12, 21-12 win on court three. Zoe Cahill and Kendra Brown clinched the match for FIU with a 21-15, 21-15 victory on court five, while Maria Sanchez and Ella Gray wrapped up the win with 21-9 and 22-20 victories on court one.
The Panthers followed up with another 4-1 win, this time over Utah. The Utes won the first match on court two, but Drozd and Luoma responded with straight-set wins on court four (21-17, 21-17). Cahill and Brown added another win for FIU on court five with 21-19 and 21-17 victories, before Sanchez and Gray took care of business on court one, winning 21-17 and 21-18. Arianna Franklin and Sofie Vogel capped off Day 1 with a thrilling 21-16, 15-8 win in three sets on court three.
Day Two
Building off their strong Day 1 performance, the Panthers dominated Palm Beach Atlantic, winning 5-0. Panko and Chudzik bounced back with 21-15 and 21-11 wins on court two, while Franklin and Vogel cruised to a 21-15, 21-19 victory on court four. Sanchez and Gray secured a 21-12, 22-20 win on court one, followed by Drozd and Luoma with a 21-17, 21-16 victory on court three. Cahill and Brown completed the sweep with a 21-19, 21-14 win on court five.
The Panthers faced their toughest challenge of the tournament in their final duel against in-state rival No. 12 Florida Atlantic. FIU fell behind 1-0 after losing on court two, but Franklin and Vogel quickly evened the score with a 21-17, 21-18 win on court four. Florida Atlantic regained the lead with a win on court one, but Drozd and Luoma responded with a 21-15, 21-13 victory on court three, tying the duel at 2-2. The deciding match came on court five, where Cahill and Brown sealed the win for FIU with a 21-19, 21-18 victory, giving the Panthers a 3-2 win over the Owls.
UP NEXT
FIU will be home for their first of two home matches this season, welcoming Southern Miss., Utah, Florida Atlantic and Palm Beach Atlantic to the FIU Beach Volleyball Courts on Friday February 28, and Saturday March 1.
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