TALLAHASSEE, Fla.– In a match that took nearly three hours, FIU volleyball (5-4) earned a sweep of the Florida A&M Invitational after enduring a five-set nailbiting win over Louisiana (3-6) in a game where the team tied its season-high with 68 kills.
FIU ran out to a 10-4 lead to start the game after consecutive block assists from
Gina Fedrigo and
Kamryn Itzen, extended further to 15-10 at the media timeout following an
Ivona Lazovic ace. The good times ceased right after that, as the Cajuns battled back for the lead and held it. Despite
Jillian Huckabey making it a one-point deficit at 21-20 following a pair of kills, Louisiana finished it off 25-23.
The offense was humming in the second set, hitting .281 with just four errors.
Rayne Williams served up an ace for a 5-4 lead and the Panthers never looked back, with
Lana Sesar and Itzen shining. Sesar, as has happened often this season, closed out the frame with another swat - her fourth of the set.
A back-and-forth set that saw several ties didn't reach its fever pitch until late. After a service run from
Marta Lazzarin to go up 20-19, the Panthers fell behind 24-23, but
Chiara Fabbrini had other plans for the designated home team. A kill, followed by a jump-serve ace that was overturned from being an error on review, put the Panthers in the driver's seat. A Cajuns error allowed the Panthers to win it in extras 26-24.
It was another hard-fought set that the Panthers couldn't win in the fourth. Tying it three times, once at 12-12 after a
Mariana Silva ace and again at 20-20 after a Huckabey kill, the Cajuns did just enough to win it 25-23.
Falling behind 3-0 to open the decisive fifth, a
Flavia Siqueira timeout righted the ship as the Panthers quickly tied it on two blocks by Williams. A dagger 6-0 run aided by three kills and a block from Sesar put the Panthers in prime position at 10-6, ultimately closing it out on Huckabey's 15th kill of the match. A 15-10 set win spelled a 3-2 game victory for FIU, stretching the win streak to three and winning each game in the tournament.
Sesar was the standout for the Panthers all weekend, but specifically in this match, delivering the second 20-kill game of her season with 24 and adding 10 digs. She was named to the All-Tournament squad after a weekend where she slammed 49 kills, hit .295 and also contributed 29 digs, five aces and seven total blocks.
Lazzarin, who led the Panthers with 17 digs in the game, was also named to the All-Tournament team. She recorded 50 digs (4.5/set), 18 assists and five aces throughout the weekend.
Joining Sesar with double-digit kills were Huckabey (15) and Fabbrini (11). Lazovic led the way with 30 assists, and Silva was close behind with 20. Itzen had a strong blocking day, combining for seven total out of the Panthers' 12.
Up Next
FIU stays close by in Tallahassee, battling #RV Florida State Sunday at noon.
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