FIU Volleyball starts the season 2-1 at FAU Invitational

The Flavia Siqueira era began Friday as the FIU Panthers faced the Stetson University Hatters and the Merrimack Warriors in the FAU Invitational. They finished out the tournament the next day against Florida Atlantic University.

Match No. 1 versus Stetson, Friday, 12:30 p.m.

FIU’s first win of the day came against Stetson, defeating them in five sets. The first set started with the Panthers falling behind. The first set alone featured 11 errors that cost FIU the set, 25-16. After the break, the Panthers came back on the same page and tied up the match, winning 25-11.

Stetson played slightly better in the second set than in the first, having two fewer errors. However, it was no match for FIU, as they had 20 kills on 31 total attempts and only 2 errors.

Junior outside hitter Jillian Huckabey had 7 of the team’s 20 kills, helping shift the momentum. Although Stetson took the third set 26-24 in a nail-biter, FIU kept pushing forward and won the next two sets to win the match. Freshman outside hitter Lana Sesar also shined as she had 7 kills in the fourth set. Sesar and Huckabey put up a combined 33 kills.

15 kills apiece for these two 😱 pic.twitter.com/vu1eHhmyOe

— FIU Volleyball (@FIUVolleyball) August 28, 2026

Sophomore setter Ivona Lazovic and freshman setter Mariana Silva made a big impact in this game, holding 32 and 22 assists, respectively.

Defensively, the Panthers did well as they outnumbered Stetson on digs, 74-58, with Junior defensive specialist/libero Marta Lazzarin leading the way with 24 of them. That is something we’ll see a lot this season from Lazzarin, the transfer from Georgia State who played for Siqueira.

This was Coach Siqueira’s first win as Head Coach for FIU and they kicked the season off to a 1-0 start.

Match 2 versus Merrimack, Friday, 4:30 p.m.

In the next match versus Merrimack, FIU swept the Warriors. Merrimack had no answer for the Panthers’ serves as they scored 11 aces, with Junior outside hitter Marla Valentin having 4 of them.

FOUR ACES, INCLUDING THREE IN A ROW IN THE LAST FIVE POINTS FOR MARLA 😱 pic.twitter.com/lpoVZwJh3T

— FIU Volleyball (@FIUVolleyball) August 28, 2026

Offensively, both teams were even, with 88 attempts each, but Merrimack’s errors cost them the loss. In just the three sets, they had 22 errors. FIU cleaned up from their previous match that day, with only 8 errors.

The Panthers additionally overwhelmed the Warriors with kills, outnumbering them in every set. Leading the team was Grad student opposite hitter Chiara Fabbrini with 11, then Valentin with 7. These two Panthers accounted for most of the team’s points, the only two with double-digit totals: Fabbrini with 14 and Valentin with 11.

Lazovic again set up a lot of opportunities in this game with 16 assists. Lazzarin and Senior defensive specialist/libero Kindyl Kilar provided defensive support with 9 and 5 digs, respectively.

In just two games, it feels like the FIU Panthers have built good team chemistry with how many changes there have been in the offseason. This is the first time the Panthers have started 2-0 since 2018. On Saturday, they will finish out the tournament by facing the Florida Atlantic Owls. This could be the more challenging matchup of the tournament, as FAU also started 2-0 against the same two schools, but instead beat Stetson 3-0.

Match 3 at FAU, Saturday, 2 p.m.

It’s only fitting for FIU to close out the tournament with their rivals. Although it didn’t go the Panthers’ way, it felt like a much closer match than a 0-3 loss. These two teams have always been competitive, with FIU holding a 36-34 record against FAU.

In the first set, it was competitive until about halfway through, when FAU led 11-10. Mental errors consumed the Panthers, costing them 8 errors from that point on, and they lost the set 25-13. Although there were many errors, it felt like FIU got many chances, but FAU kept fighting back defensively.

Into the second set, the Panthers led by as much as six. Although the Owls came back to take the lead, it went back and forth, and FAU took the second set 25-23.

It wasn’t up until halfway through the second set that the first ace between both teams were scored. Defensively, the Panthers received the ball well and gave up only one more ace for the rest of the match.

Other than the first set, this was a close match that could have gone either way. FIU had many opportunities and spread the wealth between players. Huckabey and Fabbrini led the team with 9 kills, with Sesar right behind her with 6. Lazovic, Silva, and Lazzarin had 15, 13, and 5 assists, respectively.

The road ahead

So the Panthers find themselves starting 2-1 to start the season and will head up to Jacksonville, Florida for the University of North Florida Invitational. Throughout that weekend, they will face UNF (can be watched on ESPN+), Tulane, then Duke from September 3-5.

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