Florida International University women’s volleyball defeated Central Michigan 3-0 and Alabama A&M 3-2 on Sept. 18 in Miami, extending its winning streak to six matches. Jillian Huckabey led FIU in both victories, recording 11 kills in the sweep and 19 kills in the five-set win. FIU was listed at 8-4 after the two matches.
FIU sweeps Central Michigan
FIU opened the day with a 25-9, 25-21, 25-14 victory over Central Michigan. The Panthers hit .442, which was the program’s fifth-highest hitting percentage and its highest since Sept. 2, 2011, according to the source. Central Michigan was listed at 0-11 after the match.
Huckabey led FIU with 11 kills, while Chiara Fabbrini added nine kills without an attack error and Rayne Williams finished with seven kills. Ivona Lazovic recorded 18 assists, and Marta Lazzarin and Williams each had three aces. Mariana Silva delivered the closing ace in the first and second sets.
FIU hit .773 in the opening set while building a 25-9 win. The Panthers followed with a 25-21 second-set victory before closing the sweep with a 25-14 third-set win. The result gave FIU its second consecutive sweep and fifth consecutive victory.
Huckabey leads five-set win over Alabama A&M
Alabama A&M presented a much closer challenge in the evening match, but FIU secured a 25-18, 23-25, 25-20, 20-25, 17-15 victory. Alabama A&M hit .145 compared with FIU’s .105. Alabama A&M was listed at 5-7 after the match.
Huckabey again led the FIU attack with 19 kills. Fabbrini added 12 kills, Lana Sesar had eight and Mariana Silva recorded six aces and 14 assists. Lazovic contributed 25 assists, 15 digs and five aces, while Lazzarin led FIU with 20 digs.
FIU won the first set 25-18 before Alabama A&M answered 25-23 in the second. The Panthers regained the lead with a 25-20 third-set win, but Alabama A&M forced a deciding set by taking the fourth 25-20. The Bulldogs held a 14-13 edge in the fifth set before FIU finished with a 17-15 victory.
Lazzarin opened the fifth set with three consecutive aces. After Alabama A&M produced a 7-0 run to reach set point, Huckabey responded with two kills and Gina Fedrigo added a solo block. FIU then completed the five-set victory.
What comes next for FIU
FIU will face Jacksonville at 2 p.m. Saturday. The match is the Panthers’ next opportunity to extend their six-match winning streak. The source does not provide a calendar date for the Jacksonville match.
FSB Take
FIU’s two wins showed a clear contrast between its matches on Sept. 18. The Panthers hit .442 in the sweep of Central Michigan, then won the five-set match against Alabama A&M despite being out-hit .145 to .105. Huckabey’s 30 combined kills were central to both victories, while late plays from Lazzarin, Fedrigo and other FIU contributors secured the six-match winning streak.
Source: Original report