FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (March 5, 2016) - The FIU beach volleyball team (2-1, 0-1 in CCSA) defeated Jacksonville by a score of 5-0 in Day Two of the FIU Fort Lauderdale Invitational. The team was led by junior Marina Boulanger with her stellar play. Sophomore Kari Peterson and junior Katie Hogan made their collegiate beach volleyball debuts and looked incredible.

The Panthers started strong right out of the gates. The No. 1 pair of Boulanger and graduate student, Martyna Gluchowicz claimed the first victory, 2-0 (21-15, 21-12) in a no-doubter.

Soon after redshirt sophomore, Savannah Davis led a fierce comeback at the five slot to take the match 2-0 (22-20, 21-13).

Peterson clinched the duel in her debut, defeating Jacksonville, 2-1 (21-8, 17-21, 15-8) at the No. 3 slot.

At the 4's, graduate student, Tina Toghiyani took care of business with a quick 2-0 (21-14, 21-10) victory.

To finish the day, Hogan made her FIU beach volleyball debut, defeating the Dolphins 2-0 (21-17, 21-17) at the No. 2 position in a display of power. Along with partner, freshman Dominique Dodd, the pair completed the 5-0 sweep of Jacksonville, improving FIU to 2-1 on the season.

The Panthers will travel to Baton Rouge, La. next week for the Tiger Beach Challenge. They will kick things off against New Orleans on Saturday, March 12. First serve is scheduled for 10:00 a.m.


(#6) FIU def. Jacksonville, 5-0

No. 1 [FIU] Boulanger/Gluchowicz def. [JU] Laskelle/Prestes, 2-0 (21-15, 21-12)
No. 2 [FIU] Hogan/Dodd def. [JU] Finan/Swan, 2-0 (21-17, 21-17)
No. 3 [FIU] Sataric/Peterson def. [JU] Koop/Krawczyk, 2-1 (21-8, 17-21, 15-8)
No. 4 [FIU] Toghiyani/Bethancourt def. [JU] Miller/Nushtayeva, 2-0 (21-14, 21-10)
No. 5 [FIU] Davis/Giron def. [JU] Armstrong/Babowicz, 2-0 (22-20, 21-13)
Exh. [FIU] Taylor/Friesen def. [JU] Gesualdo/Bright, 2-0 (21-8, 21-14)

Order of finish: 1, 5, 3, 4, 2

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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 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 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 $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, 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/.