MIAMI (November 18, 2016) – FIU Head Beach Volleyball Coach Rita Buck-Crockett announced on Friday, the signing class of 2017-18 to play volleyball on the sand. The beach volleyball program signs four to a National Letter of Intent (NLI), two of which will play in the upcoming season.
 
Molly Shonk · 5-9 · Columbus, Ohio · Lourdes University
Shonk, a 5-foot-9 transfer from Lourdes University, will join the FIU beach volleyball team as a senior in January for the upcoming 2017 season. Shonk, a three-year indoor volleyball player, was named to the NAIA All-America Third Team and AVCA All-Mideast Region First Team last season. She recorded over 350 kills and 375 digs, combining for 429.0 points. Prior to her time at Lourdes University, Shonk spent two years at Georgia State, recording 489 digs in her time with the Panthers.
 
Federica Frasca · 5-9 · Rome, Italy · L.C.L. Aristofane Rome
Frasca, a 5-foot-9 freshman from Rome, will also join the FIU beach volleyball team this January for the upcoming 2017 season. Frasca is coming off an Italian Championship in 2015. She was also named MVP of the 2014 Italian Championships of Beach Volleyball U18.
 
Madison Besterfield · 6-0 · Tampa, Fla. · Wiregrass Ranch High School
Besterfield, a 6-foot senior out of Wiregrass Ranch High School, will join the beach volleyball team in the Fall of 2017. Besterfield, who attended Carrollwood Day School her junior year, led the Patriots to the 3A State Final Four. In 2014, she was named MVP and District 7A Player of the Year. Besterfield was also named to the All-Conference First Team her sophomore and junior years. Besterfield was recruited by Georgia State, South Carolina, Florida Atlantic, Tulane, UAB and California State, Long Beach.
 
Ashley Klassen · 5-8 · Delta, British Colombia, Canada · South Delta Secondary School
Klassen, a 5-foot-9 senior out of South Delta Secondary School, will join the FIU beach volleyball team in the Fall of 2017. Klassen holds five years' experience on the sand. In that time, Klassen has accumulated five gold medals, two silver medals and one bronze at Sideout Beach Volleyball Club. Klassen was awarded Female Athlete of the Year (2016) and is a five-time winner of the Outstanding Athletic Achievement Award. She was named to the First Team All Star at the Fraser Valley School Championships (2016).

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About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A.Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including FIU Arena and Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium.

About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offers more than 180bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU contributes $9.8 billion each year to the local economy. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded over 200,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, theWolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA andhas over 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.