LOS ANGELES (March 8, 2013) – The No. 8 FIU sand volleyball squad began its inaugural season with a decisive victory on Friday afternoon, defeating Grand Canyon University, 5-0, in Los Angeles, Calif. With the win, the Panthers improve to 1-0 while the Antelopes fall to 0-1.

Four FIU pairs took home 2-0 victories, led by the Panthers' No. 1 tandem of Kate Stepanova and Maryna Samoday, who defeated Kristen Johannsen and Mackenzie Phelps by game scores of 21-14, 21-7.

At the No. 2 position, the Panther pair of Ksenia Sukhareva and Jessica Mendoza got past GCU's Sara Bowden and Shannon Dugan (21-9, 21-16), while FIU's Jessica Gehrke and Tina Togyani teamed up for a 21-12, 21-11 win over Jessica Posse and Chloe Jenkins at the No. 4 spot.

The Panthers' fourth 2-0 sweep came at No. 5, as Elly Citron and Maria Coukoulis registered a 21-16, 21-13 victory over Brittney Spackman and Courtney Spackman.
In FIU's only 3-0 dual of the day, the Panther duo of Camila Rosado and Laura Duffy fought back from a 1-0 deficit to post a 2-1 win over GCU's Caelen Hiller and Kaitlynn Ausmus (16-12, 21-12, 15-11).

FIU will next travel to Malibu, Calif., for a 1 p.m. ET match against top-ranked Pepperdine on Saturday, March 9. The Waves went undefeated in their first season of sand volleyball, capturing the 2012 AVCA Collegiate Sand Volleyball Team Championship.

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).

No. 8 FIU (1-0) def. Grand Canyon University (0-1), 5-0

1. Kate Stepanova/Maryna Samoday (FIU) def. Kristen Johannsen/Mackenzie Phelps (GCU) 21-14, 21-7

2. Ksenia Sukhareva/Jessica Mendoza (FIU) def. Sara Bowden/Shannon Dugan (GCU), 21-9, 21-16

3. Camila Rosado/Laura Duffy (FIU) def. Caelen Hiller/Kaitlynn Ausmus (GCU) 16-21, 21-12, 15-11

4. Jessica Gehrke/Tina Toghyani (FIU) def. Jessica Posse/Chloe Jenkins (GCU) 21-12, 21-11

5. Elly Citron/Maria Coukoulis (FIU) def. Brittney Spackman/Courtney Spackman (GCU) 21-16, 21-13

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/.