MIAMI (March 29, 2018) – The No. 12 FIU women's beach volleyball team boasts the top-ranked pair in the nation according to Collegebeachvb.com.
The Panthers' No. 1 team of
Federica Frasca (Rome, Italy) and
Margherita Bianchin (Treviso, Italy) continue to be ranked the No. 1 tandem in the nation at the top spot, with a stellar 19-1 record, while winning 12-straight matches. All-time, the duo is 39-6, including 30-6 at No. 1.
Joining Frasca and Bianchin in the rankings are
Estefanie Bethancourt and
Natalia Giron who are ranked fifth at the No. 4 spot, with a 15-4 record, and
Mariana Dal Pozzo and
Taija Thomas at the No. 5 position, ranked fourth in the nation, with an impressive 12-1 ledger.
In addition to Frasca and Bianchin being tabbed the No. 1 pair in the nation, the tandem was also named the DiG Magazine National Beach Pair of the Week for the week ending March 25. The Italian duo, who posted a 5-0 record last week, defeated Florida Gulf Coast (21-16, 21-19) in a single match on March 21, and then took four-straight at the Saint Leo Invitational on March 23-24, against Saint Leo (21-14, 21-13), Jacksonville (21-13, 21-15), Eckerd (21-16, 21-13) and Florida Southern (21-11, 21-15).
FIU continued to roll, taking all five matches it played last week, against Florida Gulf Coast (3-2) on March 21, and then posting a 4-0 record at Saint Leo, defeating the host Lions (5-0), Jacksonville (5-0), Eckerd (4-1), and Florida Southern (5-0). The Panthers improve to 15-5 on the year and 3-1 in Coastal Collegiate Sports Association play.
FIU remains almost unbeatable at the No. 1 and No. 5 positions. In addition to the success of Frasca and Bianchin at No. 1, a quartet of pairs –
Erin Byrne/
Mariana Dal Pozzo (4-1), Dal Pozzo/
Taija Thomas, Dal Pozzo/
Mariana De Paula Silva (0-1), and
Erin Byrne and
Mackenzie Walker (1-0) – have combined for a record of 17-3 at No. 5.
FIU hosts its biggest event of the season this weekend, the 2018 Surf 'N' Turf Invitational on South Beach, March 30-31, proving to be another daunting weekend against six nationally-ranked opponents. The Panthers open up with three matches on March 30, against No. 11 Grand Canyon, No. 2 UCLA, and No. 8 South Carolina, before closing the two-day event against No. 7 Florida State, and No. 9 Georgia State (AVCA rankings through March 26). Tulane, who FIU will also face on Saturday, is receiving votes in the poll.
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