Delaney Haymes | Contributing Writer
From Oct. 12-13, the FIU’s women’s volleyball team hosted Conference USA opponent Western Kentucky. This was the first match the Panthers had played since Oct. 5, as they had two games against Liberty postponed due to concerns surrounding weather related to Hurricane Milton.
Oct. 12:
In a hard-fought five-set battle, FIU volleyball (2-16, 0-5 C-USA) came close to an upset against Western Kentucky (14-6, 7-0 C-USA) but ultimately fell short, losing 3-2 at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center.
Despite the Panthers’ struggle with 25 errors, their growth and determination to compete with one of the top teams in Conference USA was evident. After losing the first and second sets 25-20 and 25-14, the Hilltoppers seemed poised for a three-game victory. However, FIU’s resilience shone through in the third and fourth sets, which they won 25-23 and 25-19, forcing a deciding fifth set. Despite the Panthers’ best efforts, Western Kentucky managed to pull ahead in the final set, winning the match with a very close 15-12 victory.
Players who made notable contributions included sophomore Courtney O’Brien, who led the team with 25 kills on 53 attempts, hitting at an impressive .321 percentage.
Freshman Jillian Huckabey proved why she has been a leading scorer for FIU all season long by recording 13 kills, while junior Mandi Morioka led the defensive efforts with 18 digs.
Senior Travel Morris was critical to FIU’s efforts to push Western Kentucky to five sets, contributing 8 kills with a .500 hitting percentage. In clutch moments, graduate Anna Feldkamp and junior Savannah Cook stepped up, with Feldkamp contributing 10 kills and two blocks and Cook dishing out 33 assists.
Oct. 13:
The Panthers took the Hilltoppers the distance yet again in an electrifying five sets, but couldn’t finish the job in a back-and-forth battle.
FIU won the first set by 11 points thanks to a combined 13 kills from O’Brien and Huckabey, eight digs from Morioka and a service ace from Feldkamp. This was the team’s first opening set win at home all season.
Travel Morris was a standout star for FIU in the second set, delivering key blocks and kills when the Panthers needed it most. Panthers were out-hitting and out-attacking the Hilltoppers in the second set, yet inopportune errors from FIU helped WKU maintain a lead and eventually win the second set.
In the following set, WKU had momentum and was in control of the pace of the game, which led to their winning the third set definitively. With 16 kills, no errors, and a 0.571 hitting percentage, the Hilltoppers won the third set 25-16.
FIU regained their momentum and won the fourth set by going on a 21-10 run against the Hilltoppers, winning 25-21, and forcing its second five-set match against the conference favorites in one weekend.
The Panthers scored the first two points of the fifth set. However, the Hilltoppers quickly went on a 4-0 scoring run, giving the WKU the lead they would maintain for the rest of the set. The power and efficiency of the Hilltoppers, led by Kenadee Coyle and Izzy Van De Wiele, led to the Panthers losing 2-3 in back-to-back matches.
There were bright spots in the form of strong Panthers statistics in this match. Huckabey achieved 22 kills, Morioka made 23 digs and 2 kills, and Morris had 6 total blocks, all of them surpassing their previous season stats.
The team now gears up for a road matchup against New Mexico State on Friday, Oct. 18 and Saturday, Oct. 19.
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