MIAMI (April 9, 2015) – The newly third-ranked FIU sand volleyball squad returns to action this weekend for the final event of the regular season as it travels to Siesta Key, Fla., for the seventh-annual Fiesta on Siesta. The Panthers are set for a huge rematch against No. 9 Stetson (18-2) on Friday before pair pool play on Saturday and bracket play on Sunday.
The event will again be the largest event in the country featuring NCAA Division I and Division II schools playing duals on Friday and pairs on Saturday. Playoffs will follow on Sunday, and a new blind draw for others competing in single games will conclude action at the three day tournament.
The Panthers enter the event with a 17-1 overall record, coming off a 4-0 weekend at the Doctors Hospital Surf and Turf Invitation, defeating Florida Atlantic, Carson-Newman, Stanford and Webber International. FIU only dropped two sets for the entire weekend.
All Panther pairs continue to boast winning records, highlighted by the No. 1 tandem of senior
Maryna Samoday and freshman
Anja Licka. The dynamic duo hold a team-best 17-1 dual record and have only dropped five of 39 sets this season in 18 matches played. Samoday and Licka have yet to drop a third set and have won in straight sets 14 times this year. The No. 5 team of senior
Tina Toghiyani and sophomore
Aren Cupp are a perfect 11-0 overall (6-0 duals, 5-0 pairs) since teaming up at the Tiger Sand Tournament in Baton Rouge, La., on March 22. On the final day of the Doctors Hospital Surf and Turf Invitational, they only allowed nine match points against Carson-Newman, which is a new program record.
Stetson, FIU's only loss on the season, comes into the weekend with an 18-2 record with its only losses against then-No. 2 Florida State (3-2) back on March 7 and current-No. 7 Georgia State (4-1) on March 29. The Hatters are led by their top two pairs who combine for an overall dual record of 37-3. The No. 1 team of Julie Bassett and Kaley Melville own an 18-2 mark, while Kristin Lind and Maren Rygh are 19-1 at the No. 2 position. Bassett and Melville's only losses on the year came against FIU and Florida State.
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/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).
#
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/.
