Panthers off to a hot start in 2018 season

By Jenna Smith/Staff Writer

 

 

FIU Volleyball shined during the Panther Fest Tournament by sweeping all three opponents.

The Panthers went 3-0 in their opening match against Savannah State defeating the Tigers 25-10, 25-16 and 25-16.

Margherita Bianchin had 14 kills, while Chelsea Hudson and Sidney Henderson contributed six. During the match, Bianchin had a hitting percentage of .520 and Hudson had .500.

Abbie Hughes made her mark with a total of 31 assists, and Lina Bernier finished with a team-high 12 digs.

The Panthers blew past Chicago State on the second day of the tournament. After losing the first set, they bounced back by winning the remaining three sets.

Freshman Ronja Klinger, from Frauental, Austria, contributed nine kills, while Nina Petranovic finished with a .409 hitting percentage and 12 kills.

Bianchin handily finished with a double-double, 18 kills and 12 digs.

In their final match of the tournament, Delaware came to compete, yet fell short. The Blue Hens won set one, 21-25, and the Panthers won set two, 27-25. During the third set, the Panthers fought hard for the final points but finished short, 26-28.

In the fourth set, the Panthers gained momentum and rallied together, winning 25-18. The  Blue Hens’ hitting percentage was held to .064.

In the fifth set, FIU dominated the court in attacking and ball control. As a result, the Panthers generated a tremendous gap in the score and won the game at 15-9. The Blue Hens hitting percentage fell to -.111.

With an all-around stellar effort, Bianchin finished with a triple-double in the match contributing 14 digs, 15 kills and 18 assists.

Hughes added 39 assists to bring her season total to 204. Sheyanne Sullivan had 10 digs while Brenier had 29.

Petranovic had 12 kills and Henderson had 10.

Dorina Klinger, sister of Ronja Klinger, helped the squad with six blocks. Hudson had four to complete the sweep.