MIAMI (March 10, 2016) – The ninth-ranked FIU beach volleyball team (2-1, 0-1 in CCSA) travels to Baton Rouge, La., this weekend to take part in the Tiger Beach Challenge. The Panthers will take on New Orleans and the 10th-ranked Georgia State Panthers on Saturday, March 12. FIU will face conference rival, LSU and ULM on Sunday, March 13.
FIU started its season last week, hosting the FIU Fort Lauderdale Invitational. The Panthers, led by graduate student,
Martyna Gluchowicz went 2-1, sweeping New Orleans and Jacksonville, but falling to LSU.
Looking at the Privateers: New Orleans enters Saturday's match-up, 0-3 on the season. FIU is 2-0 lifetime against the Privateers, having never dropped a single set. FIU will kick off the Tiger Beach Challenge, facing New Orleans at 11:00 a.m. ET
Looking at the Panthers: The 10th-ranked Panthers of Georgia State, are coming off a disappointing loss to Florida Atlantic. GSU will enter the weekend with a record of 3-1. FIU leads the all-time series against Georgia State, 3-1, having won the last meeting in 2015. Georgia State, along with FIU joined the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) this offseason. The rivalry will be renewed on Saturday, March 12. First serve is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. ET.
Looking at the Tigers: LSU is coming off a 3-0 weekend at Fort Lauderdale, having defeated the Panthers in a close 3-2 match. The Tigers won the last match-up against FIU, but the Panthers still lead the series, 3-1. The conference match-up is scheduled to take place on Sunday, March 13 at 10:00 a.m. ET.
Looking at the Warhawks: ULM will begin their 2016 campaign this weekend. Last year, the Warhawks finished the season with a 15-6 record. The Panthers have only played ULM once before, defeating them 4-1 in 2014. The match-up is scheduled for a 1:00 p.m. ET first serve on Sunday, March 13.
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Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Twitter (@FIUVolleyball) and become a fan on Facebook (
Facebook.com/FIUVolleyball) 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.Maidiqueand Biscayne Bay), including FIU Arena and Ocean Bank Field 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 offers more than 180bachelor'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 $9.8 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, theWolfsonian-FIU, and the Jewish Museum of Florida-FIU. FIU is a member of Conference USA andhas over 400 student-athletes participating in 18 sports. For more information about FIU, visit
http://www.fiu.edu/.