BOCA RATON, Fla.– FIU volleyball (2-0) kicked off the
Flavia Siqueira era with a doubleheader sweep on Friday, taking down Stetson (0-1) and Merrimack (0-2) at Eleanor Baldwin Arena in Boca Raton. FIU won in a five-set nailbiter in the afternoon slate and clean-swept the Warriors in the evening.
Game 1: FIU 3, Stetson 2
FIU never got it going in the opening set, falling down 9-1 early and struggling to come back from the early hole. A mid-set run capped by a
Teodora Skocajic ace got the set to 11-9, but the Hatters regained control, closing down the Panthers 25-16 in the inaugural set of 2026.
The Panthers turned it around completely in the second frame, hitting .581 and using that to run away with it.
Jillian Huckabey slammed seven kills in the frame, including three in a row at one point, to highlight a dominant 25-11. While the Panthers' longest run was a 5-0 spread, Huckabey,
Tiyana Cisse and
Lana Sesar all contributed with kills to knot the game back up.
FIU was looking to ride the momentum wave to yet another set win, but ran into a roadblock trying to secure the final two points. Up 23-19 after a Huckabey kill and
Ivona Lazovic ace, the Panthers allowed the Hatters to rattle off five straight points, and ended up losing the frame 26-24.
Down 10-8 in the fourth, a pivotal 5-0 run pushed the Panthers ahead for good. Another Lazovic ace was the final point of the run, and another 5-0 spread came late that featured a pair of Sesar kills to get to set point. Sesar once again delivered the final kill to win it 25-17.
A hotly contested final set, the Panthers ran away after Stetson tied it at 10. Back-to-back Huckabey aces before a Skocajic slam to end it earned Coach Siqueira her first win at FIU and a resilient 3-2 win to begin the 2026 campaign.
Three Panthers recorded double-doubles - Huckabey (16 kills, 12 digs), Sesar (17 kills, 11 digs) and Lazovic (32 assists, 12 digs).
Kamryn Itzen contributed the first double-digit kill game of her career with 10, rookie
Mariana Silva had 22 assists and
Marta Lazzarin led the defensive charge with 24 digs and seven assists.
Game 2: FIU 3, Merrimack 0
In the first-ever matchup between these two teams, the Panthers quickly got the upper hand, hitting .344 overall and sweeping the Warriors, giving Merrimack its second loss of the day.
The block got going early on for FIU, recording eight through the first two sets, including five from Itzen. The Panthers pulled ahead with a service ace and a series of Merrimack errors, extending their lead to 8-4.
Marla Valentin and
Chiara Fabbrini led the charge from that point on, recording four and three kills, respectively, in a 25-16 win.
It was all Panthers to begin the second set, recording an 8-2 run and never truly looking back. Despite a late push, returners
Kindyl Kilar and Huckabey added kills late in a 25-19 victory.
The biggest highlight in the final set was the run of service pressure from Valentin - a 7-0 run featuring four aces, including three in a row, pushed the Panthers to a 12-6 lead. Fabbrini got into double digits in kills for the first time and
Mia Gonzalez delivered a kill to win it in her debut as the Panthers sailed to a sweep.
There were nine total blocks for the Panthers in game two, with Itzen (5) and Skocajic (4) leading the way. Fabbrini (11) and Valentin (7) both had strong days on offense, each hitting over .400 in the win.
FIU hit .253 as a squad on the day and recorded 110 digs, an standout defensive output headed into the tournament finale. The Panthers start the season with back-to-back wins for the first time since 2018.
Up Next
FIU will renew its rivalry with Florida Atlantic on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. The game will be televised on FAUSports.com.
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.
