Starring in day two of the Senior Spotlight Series leading up to the start of the 2017 beach season in Boca Raton, Florida this Thursday, is Swiss native, Anabela "Bela" Sataric.
 
Sataric began her volleyball career as a setter and was a member of the Swiss Junior National Team before making her way to Miami. In 2013, she was recruited as an indoor volleyball player at FIU until she converted to beach her sophomore season. From there she hasn't looked back.
 
Following in the footsteps of her older sister and biggest inspiration, Daria Sataric, Bela chose FIU for the warm weather and countless opportunities Miami has to offer. Her sister played indoor and beach volleyball for Florida Atlantic University and then played at FIU for one year as a graduate student. Bela looks up to her sister because she was always one step ahead of her and showed her what to expect. "I came this far because she showed me the path and how it was going to be," said Sataric.
 
Her earliest memory of volleyball takes her back to her youth and watching her sister pack her things and go to a sleep-away camp to play volleyball. Since she had never slept away from home herself, she was excited to share the same experiences and begin playing the sport.
 
Sataric's native tongue is German, but she has definitely adjusted to the mix of languages and cultures here at FIU. One of the biggest bonuses that she believes FIU has offered her is the ability to connect with other international students. "I meet so many people from Europe here, that I wouldn't at home. We have some things in common and understand the struggle, so we have a special bond. I want to meet as many people as I can," said Sataric. She says that although her team is a mix of student-athletes from all over the world, communication is never an issue.
 
As team captain, Sataric has high expectations for the Panthers this coming season. She is confident in the positive mentality that got her to where she is today. She preaches hard work and dedication in whatever you set your mind to. "I just started playing beach and I went all in," said Sataric. "I had to catch up to other players but I gave it 100%."
 
As an international business major, her plans upon graduation include applying to FIU's Master of International Business graduate program. Sataric hopes to come back and play her final year of eligibility at FIU. She aspires to play professionally, but for now she is focusing on living in the present.
 
Sataric's Keys To Success: "Whatever you do, just do it right and go for it."
 
Pre-Match Rituals: "I usually just stick to my music, I try not to get to tense and just loosen up. If I get too focused on it I kind of get nervous. So I try to just relax and keep to myself for a little bit."
 
Hobbies: Sataric enjoys keeping active and spending time with her friends and family during her spare time. She loves watching her brother's professional ice hockey games at home in Switzerland.
 
Sataric's advice for the upcoming season to the team, comes directly from Coach Buck-Crockett,  "Do whatever you do in practice. If you make a mistake, don't worry about it. Just go for it." 

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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/.