MIAMI (March 27, 2017) – FIU Athletics had a near-perfect week, going a combined 13-1, as the Panthers continued the month of March in dominant fashion. FIU has tallied a mark of 54-12 during the third month of the year, including two impressive, double-digit winning streaks.
Baseball (14-10, 3-3 C-USA) traveled to Houston, Texas, to take on Conference USA foe Rice in a three-game series. The Panthers took 2-of-3 from the Owls, for the team's first-ever series win over the squad from Houston. After dropping the series-opener during the first game of a Saturday doubleheader, the Panthers bounced back to erase a 3-0 deficit in game two to earn a 4-3 victory. A day later, FIU overcame a 5-0 first-inning deficit to beat the Owls, 7-5, and claim the series.
Softball (30-6, 6-0 C-USA) extended its school-record winning streak to 16 games, picking up four victories this past week. The Panthers began the week with a 3-1 win over Jacksonville on Thursday followed by a three-game sweep at Middle Tennessee in C-USA action. Freshman and current C-USA Pitcher of the Week,
Shannon Saile tossed a pair of three-hit, complete game shutouts. With the four wins this past week, FIU now ranks No. 25 in this week's DISoftballNews Top 25 Poll.
Women's tennis, ranked No. 30 in the latest Oracle/ITA National Rankings, claimed three victories this past week with wins over Towson (7-0), USF (6-1) and Temple (4-0). The Panthers (17-1) opened the week with a shutout of Towson on Monday to improve to a perfect 10-0 at home this season. A pair of games in Tampa resulted in two more victories, extending the team's winning streak to 15 games. The 15-game winning streak for FIU is tied for the third-longest winning streak in school history and is the longest since the 2001 season (18-straight).
Beach volleyball (13-6) finished the week with a 4-0 record, sweeping all four opponents by a 5-0 score. The Panthers dominated play during the two-day Eckerd College Battle on the Bay Tournament with shutouts over Morehead State, Huntingdon, Jacksonville State and host Eckerd. FIU now has eight shutout victories this season. The Panthers are currently ranked No. 16 in the latest DiG Magazine Collegiate Beach Volleyball Poll.
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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 180 bachelor'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, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has over 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.
