MIAMI (April 10, 2014) – The No. 6 FIU sand volleyball team returns to action this weekend, as it travels to Siesta Key, Fla., for the sixth-annual Fiesta on Siesta Key, held April 12-14.
The event serves as the largest collegiate sand competition for NCAA institutions in the country, with 200 doubles teams competing from 32 institutions. Play will start on Friday with eight dual competitions and run through Sunday, concluding with pairs and singles competitions. The Panthers begin play on Friday, taking on Grand Canyon University (7-3) in a dual match before competing in pairs play on Saturday and Sunday.
FIU currently holds a 13-2 overall record, coming off a 4-0 weekend at the Doctors Hospital FIU Surf & Turf Tournament on South Beach, defeating Florida Atlantic, LSU, North Florida and Florida Gulf Coast. The Panthers only dropped six sets for the entire weekend.
All Panther pairs continue to boast winning records, highlighted by FIU's No. 3 tandem of junior Tina Toghiyani and freshman Aren Cupp as well as the No. 5 duo of junior Martyna Gluchowicz and senior Kristine Monforte. Toghiyani and Cupp are currently on a 10-match winning streak as they hold down an overall record of 14-3 (12-3 dual, 2-0 pairs), while Gluchowicz and Monforte boast an impressive 15-2 (13-2 dual, 2-0 pairs) overall record. The dynamic duo is on a 13-match winning streak and has not lost since March 9.
For more information on Fiesta on Siesta Key, including a complete event schedule and list of participating schools, please visit FiestaOnSiestaKey.com.
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).
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About FIU Athletics: FIU Athletics is home to more than 400 student-athletes in 18 different sports. Athletic events are played in seven different venues on FIU's campuses (Modesto A. Maidique and Biscayne Bay), including FIU 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 bachelor¹s, master¹s and doctoral programs in fields such as engineering, international relations, architecture, law and medicine. As one of South Florida¹s 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. FIU has awarded 200,000 degrees and enrolls 50,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visithttp://www.fiu.edu/
