MIAMI BEACH (April 6, 2013) – The No. 8 Panther sand volleyball team put forth a dominating performance on Saturday morning, defeating intrastate rival Florida Gulf Coast, 5-0, in South Beach.

With the victory, FIU improves to 6-5 in dual matches and the Panthers are 2-0 in pairs tournaments on the year.

Playing at No. 5, the FIU duo of Emily Podschweit and Tina Toghiyani got the Panthers on the board first with a commanding 21-5, 21-9 victory over Jill Hopper and Katie Gutmann. The Panther pair of Camila Rosado and Maria Coukoulis would then post a 21-19, 21-17 win over Olivia Mesner and Lindsey Childs at No. 3 to put FIU on top, 2-0.
Clinching the win for the Panthers at the No. 1 position was the tandem of Kate Stepanova and Ksenia Sukhareva, which registered a 21-16, 21-14 win over Brooke Kohler and Brittany Muse.

Also picking up wins on the day was the No. 2 team of Jessica Mendoza and Maryna Samoday (21-11, 21-6 over Kaitlin Holm and Whitney Masters) and FIU's No. 4 squad of Jessica Gehrke and Laura Duffy (21-15, 21-11 over Christine Pinder and Liga Strautniece).

In exhibition action, Elly Citron and Alexa Diaz teamed up for a hard-fought, three-set victory over FGCU's Ashley Noble and Natalie Feathers (19-21, 21-12, 15-7).

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 (FIU) def. Florida Gulf Coast (FGCU) 5-0
April 6, 2013 – Miami Beach, Fla.

1. Kate Stepanova/Ksenia Sukhareva (FIU) def. Brooke Kohler/Brittany Muse (FGCU) 21-16, 21-14

2. Jessica Mendoza/Maryna Samoday (FIU) def. Kaitlin Holm/Whitney Masters (FGCU) 21-11, 21-6

3. Camila Rosado/Maria Coukoulis (FIU) def. Olivia Mesner/Lindsey Childs (FGCU) 21-19, 21-17

4. Jessica Gehrke/Laura Duffy (FIU) def. Christine Pinder/Liga Strautniece (FGCU) 21-15, 21-11

5. Emily Podschweit/Tina Toghiyani (FIU) def. Jill Hopper/Katie Gutmann (FGCU) 21-5, 21-9

Exhibition

6. Elly Citron/Alexa Diaz (FIU) def. Ashley Noble/Natalie Feathers (FGCU) 19-21, 21-12, 15-7

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/