Baton Rouge, La. (March 21, 2015) – The No. 7 FIU Sand Volleyball team improved to 11-1 on the year after defeating LSU, 4-1, and North Florida, 5-0, on the final day of dual play at the Tiger Sand Tournament. The Panthers have won 10-consecutive duals, and are off to their best start in the program's three-year history.
 
FIU began the day with host LSU. The Panthers got off to a 2-0 start after the No. 4 team of senior Tina Toghiyani and sophomore Marina Boulanger and the No. 5 pair of sophomores Aren Cupp and Savannah Davis picked up straight-set victories against the Tigers. FIU sealed the deal with the No. 1 duo of senior Maryna Samoday and freshman Anja Licka's 15-21, 21-17, 15-10 victory over LSU's Katie Lindelow and Mandi Orellana. The No. 2 tandem of seniors Kristine Monforte and Summer Nash also picked up a hard-fought three set win to improve their win streak to 10.
 
The dual portion of the tournament closed with a matchup between intra-state rival North Florida where the Panthers swept the Ospreys, 5-0. All but one pair saw straight-set wins. This was the eighth time this season FIU has swept its opponents.
 
The Panthers continue action tomorrow for the final day of the Tiger Sand Tournament with a pairs single elimination tournament that will be begin at 10 a.m. ET. There will be three brackets: Gold Bracket (1's and 2's), Tiger Bracket (3's and 4') and a purple bracket (5's and 6's).
 
TIGER SAND TOURNAMENT DAY 2 RESULS
FIU def. LSU 4-1
No. 1     Maryna Samoday/Anja Licka (FIU) def. Katie Lindelow/Mandi Orellana (LSU) 15-21, 21-17, 15-10
No. 2     Summer Nash/Kristine Monforte (FIU) def. Cati Leak/Callan Molle (LSU) 21-23, 21-13, 15-9
No. 3     Helen Boyle/ Cheyenne Wood (LSU) def. Darija Sataric/Anna Budinska (FIU) 18-21, 21-18, 15-11
No. 4     Marina Boulanger/Tina Toghiyani (FIU) def. Katarina Raicevic/Carly Morris (LSU) 21-16, 21-15
No. 5     Aren Cupp/Savannah Davis (FIU) def. Riley Young/Emma Hiller (LSU) 21-17, 21-15
 
 
FIU def. North Florida (UNF) 5-0
No. 1     Maryna Samoday/Anja Licka (FIU) def. Cameron McGuire/Cari Whitmire (UNF) 21-15, 21-15
 No. 2    Kristine Monforte/Summer Nash (FIU) def. Tessa Alyman/Jess Kinlaw (UNF) 21-14, 21-15
No. 3     Darija Sataric/Anna Budinska def. Tanner Garbutt/Julie Trembley (UNF) 23-21, 21-16
No. 4     Marina Boulanger/Tina Toghiyani (FIU) def. Kimberly Ferguson/Ambre Desaulnay (UNF) 22-24, 23-21, 15-11
No. 5     Aren Cupp/Savannah Davis (FIU) def. Ebony Gunn/Emily Davanzo (UNF) 21, 14, 21-19
 
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/.