TALLAHASSEE, Fla.– Riding the highs of a 3-0 tournament at Florida A&M, FIU volleyball (6-4) continued that with an impressive sweep of RV Florida State (4-4) at Tully Gym, the first-ever win for the Panthers against FSU on the road and their first win in 13 tries against the 'Noles in their Division I history.
FIU took control of the opening set after four attacking errors from the home team, never relinquishing the early 9-5 lead they held. Two more errors following kills from
Chiara Fabbrini and
Jillian Huckabey pushed the lead to 14-7.
Hanging on to a slim lead, the Panthers did just enough - and the 'Noles continued to struggle from the service line. Huckabey again had a kill to go up 22-17. A bad set and a kill from
Rayne Williams closed out a 25-22 win for FIU.
FSU seemed to right the ship initially in the second frame, holding a slim lead, but the Panthers hung around.
Gina Fedrigo cut it to a 12-10 deficit, finally tied at 14 after
Marla Valentin and
Rayne Williams combined on a block. The errors reappeared for the home team, as four in a 7-0 run as well as kills from
Lana Sesar and Fedrigo put the Panthers up 23-17. Sesar delivered the sealer, putting the Panthers up a decisive 2-0.
Despite being outhit in the first two sets, the Panthers left no doubt who was the better team in the third and final. Hitting .344 and swatting 15 kills, FIU took the lead on a Williams and Valentin block and extended it to 19-11 after a couple Sesar kills. After Sesar recorded an ace to make it 23-16, Huckabey delivered a kill after a brief 3-0 run from FSU, and
Marta Lazzarin closed out the Seminoles with an ace, winning it 25-16.
Sesar (10), Huckabey (8) and Williams (8) led the offensive attack, and
Ivona Lazovic had 16 assists to lead the team in the win. Lazzarin had the high dig total with nine.
This was FIU's first-ever win at Tully Gym in program history, their first win over Florida State during their DI history, and the second-straight season the Panthers took down an ACC opponent, beating Duke in 2025. For
Flavia Siqueira, it's her first P4 victory as head coach.
Historical ACC Wins for FIU Volleyball
W 3-0 vs. Miami, Sept. 10, 2009
W 3-2 vs. Miami, Dec. 3, 2009 (NCAA Tournament)
W 3-1 @ Clemson, Aug. 31, 2008
W 3-1 @ Duke, Aug 31, 2025
W 3-0 @ Florida State, Sept. 13, 2026
Up Next
FIU will ride the momentum of this win home for a three-game tournament, hosting the 305 Classic beginning on Friday.
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.
