FIU vs. FSU Score Card | FIU vs. ULM Score Card
St. Augustine Beach, Fla. (March 8, 2014) – The No. 9-ranked FIU sand volleyball team fell to No. 4 Florida State, 4-1, but bounced back against ULM, 4-1, during day one of the UNF Sand Volleyball Invitational.
"FSU came out strong and solid as our No. 4 and No. 5 spots fought hard to keep us in the dual, but we needed more from the other pairs," head coach Rita Buck-Crockett said. "Our 4s fought a tough game and won in three, but our 5s fell short losing in three sets. We rebounded strong against ULM who was the team chosen to go to nationals over us last year. We won 4-1. We have five more duals on this road trip and our goal is to win all of them and come back home with a 7-1 record."
The Panthers are now 2-1 on the season, and will look to improve their record against Georgia State and South Carolina on Sunday.
FIU's lone win in the match against Florida State came at the No. 4 spot as Jessica Mendoza and Jessica Gehrke defeated Fatma Yildirim and Kayla Joyce in a close three set match, 21-19, 15-21 and 15-8. At the No. 5 spot, the Panthers' duo of Tina Toghiyani and Aren Cupp pushed Florida State's Sarah Wickstrom and Sierra Sanchez to three sets, losing the first set by only two before defeating them in the second, 21-14, but falling in the end 15-10.
In the 4-1 victory over ULM, all four FIU wins came in straight-sets, beginning with the Panthers' tandem of Camila Rosado and Maja Rosko. After suffering their first loss of the season versus Florida State, the duo bounced back with a 21-19 and 21-18 victory over Hadley Schwartz and Michelle McNamee.
Also winning in straight-sets were the No. 3 Panther pair of Kristine Monforte and Martyna Gluchowicz, and the No. 5 squad of Toghiyani and Cupp. At No. 4, Mendoza and Gehrke improve to 3-0 on the year with their victory, as the duo defeated Hope Pawlik and Rachel Arnason.
The Panthers' No. 1 team of Ksenia Sukharevaf and Maryna Samoday dropped a hard-fought, three-set decision, 16-21, 21-13 and 12-15.
The UNF Sand Volleyball Invitational will continue on Sunday at St. Augustine Beach, Fla. Action begins at 8:30 a.m. ET. Click HERE for more tournament information.
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.
DAY ONE – UNF SAND VOLLEYBALL INVITATIONAL
March 8, 2014 – St. Augustine, Fla.
No. 4 Florida State (FSU) def. No. 9 FIU (FIU), 4-1
1. Jace Pardon/Aurora Davis (FSU) def. Kristine Monforte /Martyna Gluchowicz (FIU) 21-12, 21-16
2. Stephanie Pellitteri/Kristina Pellitterri (FSU) def. Maryna Samoday/Ksenia Sukhoreva (FIU) 21-12, 21-18
3. Julie Brown/Melanie Pavels (FSU) def. Camila Rosado/Maja Rosko (FIU) 21-13, 21-15
4. Jessica Mendoza/Jessica Gehrke (FIU) def. Fatma Yildirim/Kayla Joyce (FSU) 21-19, 15-21, 15-8
5. Sarah Wickstrom/Sierra Sanchez (FSU) def. Tina Toghiyani/Aren Cupp (FIU) 19-21, 21-14, 15-10
No. 9 FIU (FIU) def. Louisiana Monroe (ULM) 4-1
1. Zuzana Markova/ Marcela Araya (ULM) def. Ksenia Sukhareva / Maryna Samoday (FIU) 21-16, 13-21, 15-12
2. Camila Rosado/ Maja Rosko (FIU) def. Hadley Schwartz/ Michelle McNamee (ULM) 21-19, 21-18
3. Kristine Monforte/ Martyna Gluchowicz (FIU) def. Blanca Ocana/ Alannah Cullum (ULM) 21-8, 21-13
4. Jessica Mendoza/ Jessica Gehrke (FIU) def. Hope Pawlik/ Rachel Arnason (FIU) 21-16, 21-19
5. Tina Toghiyani/ Aren Cupp (FIU) def. Celine Flores/ Kaitlyn Shearer (ULM) 21-6, 21-11
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 FIUArena 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/.
