MIAMI (March 23, 2016) - The No. 10-ranked FIU beach volleyball team (5-2, 1-2 in CCSA) travels to Deland, Florida this weekend to hit the sand in the Stetson Beach Invitational. The Panthers will kick off the tournament, battling No. 4 UCLA and No. 2 Florida State on Friday, March 25. The tournament will continue on Saturday, March 26, when FIU will face No. 9 Stetson and No. 5 Hawai'i.

FIU is coming off a 3-1 weekend in Baton Rouge, Louisiana at the Tiger Beach Challenge, March 12-13. The Panthers defeated New Orleans, ULM, and conference rival, LSU, but fell to No. 10 Georgia State. FIU has been led by graduate student, Martyna Gluchowicz, who has competed at the No.1 slot in all duals. The number-five pair of redshirt sophomore, Savannah Davis and sophomore, Natalia Giron remain undefeated, taking out their first seven opponents.

Looking at the Bruins: UCLA (4-3) is coming off a 2-1 weekend in Santa Monica, California, defeating California State University, Northridge and No. 7 Arizona, but falling to Florida State. The Bruins are competing in a doubleheader in Boca Raton, Florida, against Tulane and Florida Atlantic before heading up to the Stetson Beach Invitational. The meeting between the Bruins and the Panthers will be a first. First serve is scheduled for 9:00 a.m.

Looking at the Seminoles: Florida State (12-0, 1-0 in CCSA), ranked second in the nation, with an undefeated record, has defeated two top-five teams, including the defending National Champion USC Trojans. The Panthers will renew the rivalry with Florida State on Friday, March 25 at noon. FIU is 2-2 all-time against the Seminoles, defeating them twice last season, including a 5-0 sweep at the AVCA National Championships.

Looking at the Hatters: Stetson (13-1) is riding a seven-game win streak. Their only blemish on the year came from the hands of Georgia State, dropping a close 3-2 match. The Hatters host a doubleheader against North Florida this week, prior to the start of the tournament. The Panthers are 2-1 all-time against Stetson. The Hatters handed FIU its only loss of the regular season last year. The Panthers avenged that loss with a 4-1 win to close out the regular season and a 3-2 victory to eliminate them from the 2015 AVCA National Championships.

Looking at the Rainbow Wahine: Hawai'i (4-5) travels to the East coast with one of the toughest schedules in the country. The fifth-ranked Bows have lost all their matches against top-10 teams, four of them coming against top-2 teams. Hawai'i holds a 2-0 lead all-time against the Panthers.

#####

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).

###

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/.