MALIBU, Calif. (March 9, 2013) – The No. 8-ranked FIU sand volleyball team dropped a 5-0 decision at No. 1 Pepperdine on Saturday at Zuma Beach in Malibu, Calif. With the loss, the Panthers fall to 1-1 on the season, while the defending AVCA Sand Volleyball Champion Waves improve to 1-0.

Playing at the No. 1 position, the Panther duo of Kate Stepanova and Maryna Samoday kept it close, but Pepperdine's Kim Hill and Lilla Frederick came away with a three-game victory (24-22, 18-21, 15-7). Samoday tallied 13 kills and 14 digs, while Stepanova posted 12 kills, 16 digs and two blocks.

At No. 2, FIU's Emily Podschweit and Ksenia Sukhareva dropped a 21-11, 21-18 decision to Caitlin Racich and Lara Dykstra, as Sukhareva registered 11 digs, six kills and five service aces.

The Panther pair of Elly Citron and Maria Coukoulis was in action at the No. 3 position, falling to the Waves' Kelley Larsen and Kellie Woolever by game scores of 21-5, 21-11. Citron notched six kills and Coukoulis picked up four digs.

At the No. 4 spot, Pepperdine's duo of Emily Cook and Taylor Racich needed three games to down FIU's Camila Rosado and Jessica Mendoza, as the Waves came away with a 26-24, 19-21, 15-8 victory. Rosado registered 14 digs, 11 kills and three service aces, while Mendoza posted 17 kills, 16 digs, two aces and one block.

The No. 5 match saw the Panther tandem of Jessica Gehrke and Tina Toghyani fall to the Waves' Victoria Adelhelm and Jazmine Orozco (21-16, 23-21). Gehrke recorded 10 digs, nine kills and two blocks, and Toghyani notched 10 kills, five digs and a pair of aces.

Also in action for the Panthers were Laura Duffy and Alexa Diaz, which dropped an exhibition match to Pepperdine's Katie Messing and Lauren Sieckmann (21-14, 21-12).

FIU will next travel to Long Beach, Calif., as the Panthers go up against No. 2 Long Beach State on Wednesday, March 13. First serve is slated for 5 p.m. ET.

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).

#1 Pepperdine 5, #8 FIU 0

No. 1 Kim Hill/Lilla Frederick (PEP) def. Kate Stepanova/Maryna Samoday (FIU) 24-22, 18-21, 15-7

No. 2 Caitlin Racich/Lara Dykstra (PEP) def. Emily Podschweit/Ksenia Sukhareva (FIU) 21-11, 21-18

No. 3 Kelley Larsen/Kellie Woolever (PEP) def. Elly Citron/Maria Coukoulis (FIU) 21-5, 21-11

No. 4 Emily Cook/Taylor Racich (PEP) def. Camila Rosado/Jessica Mendoza (FIU) 26-24, 19-21, 15-8

No. 5 Victoria Adelhelm/Jazmine Orozco (PEP) def. Jessica Gehrke/Tina Toghyani (FIU) 21-16, 23-21

Extra Match:

Katie Messing/Lauren Sieckmann (PEP) def. Laura Duffy/Alexa Diaz (FIU) 21-14, 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