LONG BEACH, Calif. (March 13, 2013) – The eighth-ranked FIU volleyball squad came up just short against the nation's second-ranked team on Wednesday evening, falling to Long Beach State by a 3-2 score in Long Beach, Calif.

With the loss, the Panthers fall to 1-2, while the 49ers improve to 3-0, as LBSU notched its third win of the season with a 5-0 sweep of Loyola Marymount immediately following its match with FIU.

In its last two matches, FIU has gone up against the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the nation, as LBSU reached the national finals in 2012 before falling to now-top-ranked Pepperdine in the first-ever AVCA Collegiate Sand Volleyball Championship.

FIU picked up a pair of victories at the top-two spots, led by Kate Stepanova and Ksenia Sukhareva, who combined for a come-from-behind, 16-21, 21-13, 18-16 win over Caitlin
Ledoux and Alex Reid at the No. 1 position.

At No. 2, Maryna Samoday and Jessica Mendoza posted a 21-17, 21-19 victory, defeating Bre Mackie and Chelsea Cabrajac.

FIU dropped matches three through five, as Elly Citron and Maria Coukoulis fell to Delainey Aigner-Swesey and Libby Fontanilla (21-17, 21-4) at No. 3; Jessica Gehrke and Tina Toghyani fell to Lauren Minkel and Jocelyn Neely (21-7, 21-17) at No. 4; and Camila Rosado and Emily Podschweit fell to Janisa Johnson and Tyler Jackson (21-11, 21-12) at No. 5.

The Panthers will return to action on Friday, March 15, as FIU takes on No. 5 Hawaii in Honolulu at 12:30 p.m. ET. FIU will then remain in the Aloha State for the Hawaii
Tournament, featuring the host Rainbow Wahine, Chaminade and Hawaii Pacific, on Saturday, March 16.

Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Twitter (@FIUVolleyball) and become a fan on Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUVolleyball) for all the latest FIU volleyball news. Follow all of FIU's 18 athletic teams on Google+ (FIU Athletics), Twitter (@FIUAthletics), Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSports), YouTube (FIUPanthers), and Instagram
(FIUathletics).

COMPLETE RESULTS

No. 2 Long Beach State (LBSU) def. No. 8 FIU (FIU), 4-3

March 13, 2013 – Long Beach, Calif.

1. Kate Stepanova/Ksenia Sukhareva (FIU) def. Caitlin Ledoux/Alex Reid (LBSU), 16-21, 21-13, 18-16

2. Maryna Samoday/Jessica Mendoza (FIU) def. Bre Mackie/Chelsea Cabrajac (LBSU), 21-17, 21-19

3. Delainey Aigner-Swesey/Libby Fontanilla (LBSU) def. Elly Citron/Maria Coukoulis (FIU), 21-17, 21-4

4. Lauren Minkel/Jocelyn Neely (LBSU) def. Jessica Gehrke/Tina Toghyani (FIU) 21-7, 21-17

5. Janisa Johnson/Tyler Jackson (LBSU) def. Camila Rosado/Emily Podschweit (FIU), 21-11, 21-12
 
About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports, and is a proud member of the Sun Belt Conference and an affiliate member of Conference USA (men's soccer). Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including U.S. Century Bank Arena and Alfonso Field at FIU Stadium.

About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. Its colleges and schools offer 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 is worlds ahead in its local and global engagement, finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission and enrolls nearly 48,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. More than 140,000 alumni live and work in South Florida. FIU is a member of the Sun Belt Conference and has 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.