DeLand, Fla. (Mar. 6, 2015) – The FIU sand volleyball team opened up the 2015 season by splitting on the first day of the Stetson Spring Break Tournament, sweeping Eckerd 5-0, but coming up just short against Stetson, 3-2.
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.
After the victory, the Panthers immediately turned around to play host Stetson.
The No. 4 team of
Aren Cupp and
Darija Sataric took FIU's first win of the match after
Marina Boulanger and
Natalia Giron fell to Stetson's Madison Akins and Claudia Kalin. With the match tied 1-1, the top three pairs began play in a close match that came down to the wire.
The No. 2 team of
Martyna Gluchowicz and
Anna Budinska fell in two sets as Stetson took the 2-1 lead. After the No. 3 pair of
Summer Nash and Kristine Monforte took the first set 21-19, the Hatters' Savannah Byl and Holly Reschke fought back to take set two, 21-16, to force a third and final set. It went back and forth, but Nash and Monforte fell in a close third set, 15-13, as Stetson clinched the win.
Day two of the Stetson Spring Break Tournament wraps up tomorrow as the Panthers will face off with No. 2 Florida State before competing in pairs play. First serve for the final dual against the Seminoles will take place 11:30 a.m. ET.
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/.
