MIAMI (Mar. 10, 2015) – The ninth-ranked FIU sand volleyball squad (2-1) continues action this week with a midweek matchup at Florida Atlantic on Wednesday. First serve between the Panthers and Owls is set for 3 p.m. ET from the FAU Sand Courts.
FIU opened the season 2-1, defeating No. 4 Florida State and Eckerd, while falling to No. 11 Stetson as it played host to the Stetson Spring Break Tournament.
The Panthers dominated, 5-0, against Eckerd as all five pairs saw straight-set victories led by the No. 5 pair of
Marina Boulanger and
Alex Johnson. The team defeated Savanna Cary and Stephanie Kartoris by a score of 21-4 and 21-9. The four points allowed are an FIU Sand Volleyball record low of points allowed in one set. The No. 1 team of
Maryna Samoday and
Anja Licka also saw a big win as they won 21-6 and 21-11.
Following the win over the Tritons, FIU fell to host Stetson, 3-2, but rebounded the next day defeating then-No. 2 Florida State, 3-2. With the match tied at 2-2, it would down to the No. 3 pair of
Martyna Gluchowicz and
Anna Budinska. The first frame went back and forth as neither pair led for more than two points at any point, but Victoria Paranagua and Kristina Pellitteri finally came away with a 28-26 win. Not accepting defeat, Gluchowicz and Budinska came back and took set two, 21-18. The third and final set came down to the wire, but FIU's duo prevailed, 15-13, as FIU won the match 3-2.
FAU, also a participant at the Stetson Spring Break Tournament, split its two dual matches last weekend, falling to the host Hatters 3-2 before sweeping Eckerd, 5-0.
Following Wednesday's match, the Panthers will then travel to Jacksonville, Fla., to participate in the UNF Sand Tournament. FIU will face Georgia State and the College of Charleston on Saturday before playing LSU and Georgia State on Sunday.
Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Twitter (@FIUVolleyball) and become a fan on Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSandVolleyball) 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 Ocean BankField at FIU Stadium. About FIU: Florida International University is recognized as a Carnegie engaged university. It is a public research university with colleges and schools that 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 contributes $8.9 billion each year to the local economy. FIU is Worlds Ahead in finding solutions to the most challenging problems of our time. FIU emphasizes research as a major component of its mission. FIU has awarded over 200,000 degrees and enrolls more than 54,000 students in two campuses and three centers including FIU Downtown on Brickell, FIU@I-75, and the Miami Beach Urban Studios. FIU also supports artistic and cultural engagement through its three museums: the Patricia & Phillip Frost Art Museum, the Wolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA and has over 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit http://www.fiu.edu/.
