MIAMI (August 22, 2017) -- The 2017 FIU volleyball program has announced their captains for the upcoming campaign. Lina Bernier, Margherita Bianchin and Chelsea Hudson have been named as tri-captains for the season. After two weeks of training, the captains and team have continued to build chemistry on and off the court.
 
"I think that these three have stepped into their role as captains gracefully and I think they are doing a great job leading the team," said Head Coach Rita Buck-Crockett. "The team is moving forward and they are very likable young ladies who have done a great job so far."
 
Bernier played in all 102 sets for the Panthers last fall, playing in all spots on the floor save for middle blocker. She was the team's digs leader (257) and finished fourth in kills with 166.
 
Bianchin started her FIU career this spring with the beach volleyball program after a freshman year at St. John's University. She collected a 30-8 record (10-0 at two, three or fourth pair) with two different partners, including an 11-1 mark in conference contests.
 
"She is a true leader and will bring instant credibility to our offense and defense," said Buck-Crockett.
 
Hudson is a redshirt sophomore and 6-2 middle blocker.
 
"She has the potential to be one of the best blockers in the conference," added Buck-Crockett. "We are looking for her to make an immediate impact on and off the court for the team."
 
As part of preseason training, the Panthers participated in team-building exercise away from the arena to assist in the chemistry-building.
 
"The team came to my house and we had a scavenger hunt and pool day with food and music," added Buck-Crockett. "We paired them with different people when they found stuff, and we switched partners so they could work with different teammates to show them that they could win with everybody."
 
The Panthers begin play at the FGCU/Hilton Garden Inn Invitational this Friday, August 25, with the home opener scheduled for September 15, as part of the FIU Classic on Friday and Saturday. FIU takes on South Alabama at 12:30 and Auburn at 6:30 p.m.
 
For volleyball ticket information, contact the FIU Ticket Office at 305-FIU-GAME or log onto www.FIUSports.com.
 
Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Twitter (@FIUVolleyball) and become a fan on Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUVolleyball) for all the latest FIU softball news. Follow all of FIU's 18 athletic teams on Google+ (FIU Athletics), Twitter (@FIUAthletics), Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSports), YouTube (FIUPanthers), and Instagram (FIUathletics).
                                                                                                                    
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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 eight different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including Lime Court at FIU Arena and Riccardo Silva Stadium.
 
About FIU: Florida International University is classified by Carnegie as a "R1: Doctoral Universities - Highest Research Activity" and recognized as a Carnegie Community Engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that offers bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs in fields such as business, engineering, computer science, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida's anchor institutions, FIU contributes almost $9 billion each year to the local economy and is ranked second in Florida in Forbes Magazine's "America's Best Employers" list. FIU graduates are consistently among the highest paid college graduates in Florida and are among the leaders of public and private organizations throughout South Florida. 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 with multiple state-of-the-art research facilities including the Wall of Wind Research and Testing Facility, FIU's Medina Aquarius Program and the Advanced Materials Engineering Research Institute.  FIU has awarded more than 220,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, the Miami Beach Urban Studios, and Tianjin, China. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and more than 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.