TALLAHASSEE, Fla.– FIU volleyball (4-4) notched a pair of sound sweeps at the Florida A&M Invitational Friday, taking out Hampton (2-5) and hosts FAMU (3-5) and not losing a single set during the day's action.
Game 1: FIU 3, Hampton 0
In the late-morning tournament opener, the Panthers rolled on offense - and defense - right out of the gate, slamming 19 kills in a 25-21 win and holding the opposing Pirates to just five and a .000 hitting percentage. After finally gaining separation on a
Rayne Williams kill to go up 15-12 at the media timeout, two kills from
Lana Sesar and another from Williams extended that run to 6-0 and score to 19-12.
The Pirates fought back to get it to 24-21, but Sesar quickly put an end to the first stanza with her sixth kill of the frame after freshman
Nichole Kelly notched her first kill of the season to get to set point.
FIU hit a sprawling .429 (14-2-28) in the second frame, not pulling away during the early portion but finding it in the middle. A 3-0 spread with kills apiece from
Chiara Fabbrini, Sesar and
Marla Valentin made it 19-12, and
Kamryn Itzen delivered the set-sealing kill to win 25-16, a 4-0 run to end it.
The Panthers left no doubt in the final set, going up 5-1 after back-to-back-to-back
Ivona Lazovic aces and a Fabbrini kill.
Gina Fedrigo added a trio of kills to extend it to 16-9, and a run of Sesar aces, three of them to be exact, put FIU in a prime position. It was Itzen once again who ended it, as the Panthers won 25-15 and the match 3-0, emphatically snapping a four-game losing skid.
The offense hit .298 for the game, with Sesar (12) and Fabbrini (11) reaching double figures, the latter tying her season high. Sesar added four aces, while
Marta Lazzarin had 13 digs. Setting was split fairly evenly, with Lazovic (20 ast.) and
Mariana Silva (19 ast.) both getting in on the action.
Game 2: FIU 3, Florida A&M 0
Battling the hosts, who had beaten Louisiana the night before, the Panthers dialed it in on defense, recording 44 digs (14.7/set) in three frames, spearheaded by Lazzarin's 20. An early 5-0 run pushed it to 6-1 after a Sesar kill, but the keynote in the frame was yet to come.
Nine kills, two blocks and an ace highlighted what became a 13-0 run for FIU. With Silva at the service line, Fedrigo and Sesar each added a trio of kills, with Fedrigo also recording a pair of blocks. This proved to be all the Panthers needed, winning it 25-14 on a Williams booking.
Fedrigo and Williams continued to shine in the second frame, adding more kills to their ledgers as the Panthers ran out to a 17-9 lead. Save for a late Rattlers 3-0 streak, Fedrigo notched two more kills before Williams slammed the final one to win it 25-18 in a set the Panthers hit .382.
While the Panthers had their worst hitting set of the day in set three, strong service continued to keep them in control. Valentin's ace made it 19-12, and despite the home team tying it at 21, the Panthers found the perfect time for a 4-0 run. Itzen, Sesar and Valentin recorded kills to win the final set 25-21 and the game 3-0.
Lazzarin had the aforementioned standout performance - 20 digs, six assists and three service aces across three sets. Sesar (13) was the only Panther with double-digit kills, but Fedrigo had a career-high eight in the match with three total blocks, a strong output for the freshman. Silva led the way with a career-best 20 assists in the win.
Up Next
FIU takes on Louisiana at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday to wrap up the three-game tournament.
Social Media
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