MIAMI– It was a winning Saturday for FIU volleyball (12-9, 3-5 CUSA), who once again swept Liberty (12-8, 4-4) in straight sets at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center.
The first set played the same tune as the previous three the night before as the Panthers and Flames battled close for the early portion. Trailing 17-14, a string of Flames errors pushed FIU to a 19-18 lead - three attack errors, a service error and a set error. When they once again got down 22-20,
Chiara Fabbrini answered the bell, delivering two crucial kills to go up 24-22. Liberty sent the next serve long as FIU won 25-23 in a set they were out-hit.
The offensive attack for FIU picked it up in the second, recording 16 kills and hitting .333. Two kills from
Jillian Huckabey put FIU up 17-13, furthered to 20-13 after a
Rayne Williams kill and
Marla Valentin had one of her own. FIU did just enough to not let Liberty back in it, as Williams set Huckabey for the final point, winning 25-21.
FIU sailed ahead late in the third to win the match.
Ivona Lazovic tied the set at 14 on a dump, and then the block got going in an 9-1 run after that with Williams and
Kamryn Itzen combining on back-to-back. After another two kills from Huckabey, FIU was in the driver's seat, with
Lana Sesar and Williams getting a block assist and then Sesar closing it out 25-17 and the match 3-0.
Huckabey finished the weekend averaging over five kills per set following nine in the match to lead the way. Williams had five blocks and two solo, tying her season-high in solo blocks. FIU out-served Liberty 8-2, with
Teodora Skocajic recording three aces from the line.
Marta Lazzarin had another standout day on defense, finishing with a game-high 16 digs in three sets and finishing the weekend averaging over six digs per set.
Up Next
FIU heads out to Jacksonville to play Jax State, who remains winless in conference play.
Social Media
Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Instagram (@FIUVolleyball), Twitter (@FIUVolleyball), and Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUVolleyball) for all the latest Women's Volleyball news. General athletic news can also be found at @FIUSports on Facebook and @FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram.
