FIU volleyball teamed up with the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine, the College of Engineering and Computing Sciences, and Susan G. Komen for the Cure® to support breast cancer awareness, education, prevention and the search for a cure, with both teams - and fans - donning pink t-shirts. The Dig Pink event was special on many accounts because on top of an extremely worthy cause, all who were present were treated to an incredible five set match as the U.S. Century Arena became as loud as I have heard it.
The first two sets went as many in the arena expected with two relatively easy wins. FIU jumped out to a 15-6 lead in the first set and never looked back, as UALR fought back but could get no closer than nine on a few occasions.
With the score at 23-13, senior Isadora Rangel put the Panthers in set-point position with a kill. Junior Natalia Valentin then connected with senior Yarimar Rosa for a kill to give FIU a 25-13 first-set victory.
The Panthers came out strong in the second set, once again running out to a significant lead at 18-8, but UALR battled back as the Trojans would later tally three straight points to come within seven at 20-12.
UALR then recorded four consecutive points to put the score at 23-19 before a block by Vergun and Valentin put the Panthers in set-point position. UALR got in one more score but Rosa tallied a hard kill from the left side on a bump from Valentin as FIU took a 25-20 set win to go up 2-0 for the match.
During the first two sets we could See that the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) had some athletic and talented players that just were unable to match up against the aggressive, hard hitting FIU Panthers.
After the intermission, UALR started the third match with a different line up. One predicated on size with the goal of stopping FIU's attack.
The third set saw UALR take an early lead and the Trojans held steady, but FIU would not go away. A net violation gave UALR a 20-14 advantage before Rangel slammed home a kill and sophomore Andrea Lakovic served up an ace to cut the Trojans' deficit to four at 20-16. Following a UALR timeout, Valentin connected to Vergun for a kill and a Trojan attack error brought FIU within two at 20-18.
The squads continued to trade points and with UALR holding a 23-21 advantage, Rosa and Lakovic combined for a block to bring FIU within one at 23-22. Following another timeout, UALR tallied two points to take away a 25-22 set win and put the match score at 2-1 in favor of FIU.
The Trojans jumped out to a 15-7 lead in the fourth set, as UALR became just the third team of the season to force a fourth set at the U.S. Century Bank Arena, and the seventh team overall to force the Panthers into playing more than three sets.
FIU would go on a 5-1 run to put the score at 16-12 in favor of UALR, but the Trojans battled back and secured an 18-14 lead before Rosa put FIU within three at 18-15 with a kill. Each squad then tallied a point apiece before an attack error by UALR and a hard kill by Rosa brought FIU within one at 19-18.
The teams then traded service errors and with the score at 20-19 in favor of UALR, Lakovic and Rangel teamed up for a block to knot the score at 20-20 as the crowd went crazy in support of the FIU Panthers. The Trojans scored two straight points before Bjelica recorded a kill for FIU, but UALR would then go back up by three points at 24-21.
Rosa tallied a kill but UALR countered with a kill of its own for a 25-22 set victory to tie the match at 2-2, marking just the second time this season that FIU has gone to five sets.
As the fifth set loomed, things were not looking good. The FIU Team would have to dig deep and find the energy to hold off the surging UALR team. Few fans were seated as the fifth set got off to a roaring start.
Following a Trojan timeout, UALR re-gained a three-point lead at 9-6. Vergun then recorded a kill to bring FIU within two, but the Trojans retaliated with a kill of their own to put the score at 10-7. Rosa countered with a kill and a UALR attack error brought the Panthers within one at 10-9 before Rosa struck again to knot the score at 10-10.
The teams traded points and with the score tied at 11-11, Vergun and Valentin served up a pair of aces to give FIU a 13-11 lead. The Trojans then got within one at 13-12 but Valentin connected with Rosa on the right side for a kill to put FIU in match-point position. Valentin then found Bjelica on the right side for a kill as the Panthers took away a hard-fought 16-14 third-set win for a 3-2 match victory.
This was a great victory for FIU as they secured their record 14 consecutive win and 20th overall. Special recognition has to be given to the athletes on both teams that really put all their energy and focus on winning the match. In the end it was a great night for a great cause.
For detailed info on player states, please visit the FIU website by CLICKING HERE.
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