FIU vs. Jacksonville Score Card
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Mar. 7, 2014) – The ninth-ranked FIU volleyball team kicked off its second season with a decisive victory Friday afternoon, defeating Jacksonville University, 5-0. With the win, the Panthers start the season 1-0, while the Dolphins fall to 0-1.
"We are proud of our team," head coach Rita Buck-Crockett said. "They played with confidence, pride and represented FIU well. We have a tough day ahead of us tomorrow. I think today helped us with the first day jiters that sometimes can occur. We are ready for the next challenge."
All five pairs took home 2-0 victories, led by the No. 1 tandem of Ksenia Sukhareva and Maryna Samoday, who defeated Sammie Strausbaugh and Taylor Nyquist by game scores of 21-14 and 21-19.
At the No. 2 position, the Panther pair of Kristine Monforte and Martyna Cluchowicz downed JU's Alyssa Robertson and Jizzian Gesualdo (21-14, 21-7), while FIU's Jessica Mendoza and Jessica Gehrke teamed up for a 21-16, 21-11 win over Kendall Courtney and Niatha Cullen at the No. 3 spot.
The Panthers' fourth 2-0 sweep came at No. 4, as Camilla Rosado and Maja Rosko registered a 21-10, 21-17 victory over Emily Laskelle and Rachel Miller.
In FIU's final and most intense matchup of the day, the Panther duo of Tina Toghiyani and Aren Cupp fought extremely hard to post two 21-17 wins over Gabriela Roman and Mayara Prestes.
FIU will next travel down the road to St. Augustine, Fla. on Saturday, March 8 for a two-day competition in UNF's Sand Invitational. The Panthers will face Florida State at 9:30 a.m. ET and UL-Monroe at 2:30 p.m. ET before finishing on Sunday against Georgia State at 8:30 a.m. ET and South Carolina at 12:30 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). The official hashtag of the 2013-14 FIU athletic season is PantherNation.
No. 9 FIU (1-0) def. Jacksonville University (0-1), 5-0
1. Ksenia Sukhareva/Maryna Samoday (FIU) def. Sammie Strausbaugh/Taylor Nyquist (JU) 21-14, 21-19
2. Kristine Monforte/Martyna Cluchowicz (FIU) def. Alyssa Robertson/Jizzian Gesualdo (JU) 21-14, 21-7
3. Jessica Mendoza/Jessica Gehrke (FIU) def. Kendall Courtney/Niatha Cullen (JU) 21-16, 21-11
4. Camilla Rosado/Maja Rosko (FIU) def. Emily Laskelle/Rachel Miller (JU) 21-10, 21-13
5. Tina Toghiyani/Aren Cupp (FIU) def. Gabriela Roman/Mayara Prestes (JU) 21-17, 21-17
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/.
