MIAMI (April 2, 2015) – After spending the first half of the season on the road, the sixth-ranked FIU sand volleyball team is set to host the Doctors Hospital Surf and Turf Invitational this weekend in Lummus Park on South Beach.
 
The Panthers welcome four teams to the Magic City, as Florida Atlantic (6-4), Stanford (2-1), Webber (2-5) and Carson-Newman (0-10) will take part in the event. FIU is slated to face Webber (9:15 a.m.) and Stanford (11:45 a.m.) on Friday, and Carson-Newman (8 a.m.) and Florida Atlantic (10:30 a.m.) on Saturday.
 
Admission is free and open to the public. The tournament will take place from Lummus Park on 8^th St. and Ocean Drive across the street from Johnny Rockets and the Colony. Please note that street parking is metered; however, there are several parking garages that offer hourly parking for a set fee.
 
DOCTORS HOSPITAL SURF AND TURF INVITATIONAL INFORMATION
Schedule: Tournament Central
Friday: vs. Webber, 9:15 a.m. | vs. Stanford, 11:45 a.m.
Saturday: vs. Carson-Newman, 8 a.m. | vs. Florida Atlantic, 10:30 a.m. | Pairs, noon
On Twitter: @FIUVolleyball
Season Results: Click here
 
FIU at a Glance

• The Panthers are in their third season under the direction of assistant athletic director and head coach Rita Buck-Crockett after going 14-4 in the program's second season.
• 11 of 21 players from last year's roster are back, including eight of the top 12.
• FIU has a roster size of 21 players. Five players – Maryna Samoday, Alex Johnson, Summer Nash, Darija Sataric and Anna Budinska – played indoor volleyball in 2013 before making the transition to sand only players.
• Six of the players on this year's roster – Martyna Gluchowicz, Tina Toghiyani, Kristine Monforte, Alex Lilliquist, Kari Peterson and Anabela Sataric – are crossover players from the FIU indoor program. 
• FIU boasts a very diverse roster as it has players from six different states (Florida, Colorado, Michigan, Washington, California, Tennessee) and six additional countries (Switzerland, Poland, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Brazil, Guatemala).

 
A Look Back at the Palmetto Invitational  

• The Panthers swept their third consecutive tournament at the Palmetto Invitational, going 2-0 during the two-day event held in Columbia, S.C.
• FIU recorded wins over No. 3 Pepperdine (3-2) and South Carolina (3-2).
• The 3-2 win over Pepperdine was the third victory over a current AVCA Top 10 opponent, and the 3-2 win at South Carolina was the fourth victory over a DiG Magazine Top 20 competitor.  
• The Panthers are now 3-1 in away duals and 10-0 in neutral site action.
• The win over Carolina gave FIU its 12-dual winning streak this season. The Panthers have not lost a match since the beginning of March (at Stetson on March 6).
• In the pairs play, senior Tina Toghiyani and sophomore Aren Cupp won the Silver Bracket, while seniors Kristine Monforte and Summer Nash fell in the finals of the Gold Bracket.

 
Projecting the Lineup

• No 1: Maryna Samoday/Anja Licka – Team best 14-2 overall mark, including a 13-1 record in dual play … Went 3-1 over the weekend at the Palmetto Invitational … The only loss was a walkover/forfeit in pairs play in order to advance FIU's No. 2 team of Kristine Monforte and Summer Nash.
• No. 2: Kristine Monforte/Summer Nash – 16-4 overall record, including a 12-2 mark in dual play … posted a 3-2 record at the Palmetto Invitational, defeating Pepperdine and advancing to the finals of the Gold Bracket.
• No. 3: Marina Boulanger/Darija Sataric – FIU's newest pair on the year enter the weekend 0-1 overall, falling to South Carolina at the Palmetto Invitational.
• No. 4: Martyna Gluchowicz/Anna Budinska – 7-2 on the year, all in dual play … Have competed at the No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 positions … Went 1-0 at the Palmetto Invitational, defeating South Carolina's No. 4 duo of Jade Hayes and Macie Tendrich, 21-15, 30-28.
• No. 5: Tina Toghiyani/Aren Cupp – 7-0 overall, with a 2-0 mark in dual play … Posted a 5-0 record at the Palmetto Invitational, claiming the Silver Bracket Championship.

 
FIU at the Doctors Hospital Surf and Turf Invitational

• The Panthers are 6-2 all-time at the Doctors Hospital Surf and Turf Invitational.
• FIU won all four of the duals from last year's event, which included victories over LSU, Florida Atlantic, North Florida and Florida Gulf Coast.
• In the first year of the tournament, FIU went 2-2, defeating Florida Atlantic and Georgia State, but falling to then-No. 1 Pepperdine and Tulane.

 
Senior Salute

• Seven seniors will be honored during a senior day ceremony immediately following Saturday's dual with Florida Atlantic.
• Maryna Samoday, Kristine Monfrote, Alexa Diaz, Summer Nash, Darija Sataric, Anna Budinska and Alex Johnson make up the program's third senior class.
• Samoday and Monforte have been with the sand program since its first year in 2013.

 
Taking the Lead

• FIU's top tandem of senior Maryna Samoday and freshman Anja Licka has posted the team's best record with a 14-2 overall mark this season, including a 13-1 record in dual play (one of the pair's two losses was a walkover/forfeit to FIU seniors Kristine Monforte and Summer Nash in the Gold Bracket at the Palmetto Invitational).
• Samoday and Licka have lost just five of 31 sets this season in 14 matches
• The duo has lost never dropped a third set and have won in straight sets 10 times this year.

 
The Rankings

• The Panthers continue to shake up the rankings as they have moved from No. 9 to No. 7 and now stand No. 6 in the latest AVCA Poll.
• FIU earned the program's highest ranking by breaking into the DiG Magazine Collegiate Sand Poll at No. 4.
• The Panthers have a perfect 3-0 record against current AVCA Top 10 opponents and stand at 4-1 versus DiG Magazine's top 20.

 
Scouting Webber

• The Warriors enter this weekend with a 2-5 record. Webber is an NAIA school that competes in the Sun Conference.
• Webber went 5-3 in the program's inaugural season in 2014.
•  The Warriors are coming off a 4-1 loss at Florida Gulf Coast on Tuesday.
• The No. 1 pair of seniors Alida Schat and Briawna  Mueller took the only win in the match (23-25, 21-14, 15-10)
• Friday's meeting will be the second between the two schools. Last season, the Panthers came away with a 5-0 sweep of the Warriors at home from the FIU Sand Courts.

 
Scouting Stanford

• Stanford is in its third season of sand volleyball.
• Friday's meeting will be the first between the Panthers and the Cardinal.
• The Cardinal enter the Doctors Hospital Surf and Turf Invitational with a 3-1 record, most recently defeating San Jose State at home, 5-0.
• This weekend is Stanford's first true road test as all four Cardinal matches have been at home.
• Stanford's top two pairs of No. 1 senior Lauren Birks and Brittany Howard and No. 2 junior Madi Bugg and sophomore Ivana Vanjak hold a team best 3-1 record.
• The Cardinal come into this weekend ranked No. 15 in the DiG Magazine Collegiate Poll.

 
Scouting Carson-Newman

• The Eagles are in their first season of sand volleyball. Carson-Newman is a Division II school that competes in the South Atlantic Conference.

• Carson-Newman's roster is made up entirely of players from its indoor program.
• Head coach Dan Ahiers also serves as head coach for the Eagles indoor team.
• Senior Jenna Wilson, who is projected to be on the Eagles' No. 1 pair, became Carson-Newman's first indoor All-American in the fall by earning AVCA Honorable Mention All-America honors.
• Wilson's partner, senior Rachel Harper, was an AVCA All-Southeast Region selection for the indoor team.
• This is FIU's first matchup against Carson Newman.

 
Scouting Florida Atlantic

• Florida Atlantic enters the invitational with a 6-4 record.
• FAU has swept its three matches last week, beating Florida Gulf Coast 5-0 and taking a double dual from Webber International, 5-0 and 4-1.
• Three of the Owls' 10 duals this season have been against teams ranked in the AVCA Top 10. FAU went 0-3 in those duals, but fell just short at Stetson, 3-2, in its first dual of the season.
• The Owls are receiving votes in the DiG Collegiate Poll.
• Florida Atlantic is in its fourth season of sand volleyball and went 3-12 a season ago.
• This will be FIU's fifth time to face its in-state rival and second this season. The Panthers hold a 4-0 record against the Owls, with three sweeps including one earlier this season.

 
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/.