MANHATTAN BEACH, Calif. (March 12, 2017) - The No. 12-ranked FIU beach volleyball team (5-5 3-1 in CCSA) was defeated by No. 6 Long Beach State, 3-2, on Sunday at the East Meets West Invitational at the Manhattan Beach Pier in Manhattan Beach, California. The Panthers closed out the two-day event with a loss to the Cal Poly Mustangs, 4-1. 
 
In the first match of the day, the 49ers took control early in their win over the Panthers. FIU managed to fight back with two victories coming in the No. 4 and No. 2 spots. The No. 4 pair of Anabela Sataric and Estefanie Bethancourt defeated Morgan Wagner and Heather Weiss (11-21, 21-19, 15-12), improving their record to 8-1 on the year. In the final game of the match, the tandem of Katie Hogan and Kari Peterson clinched their first win as the No. 2 pair this season over Long Beach's Kobi Pekich and Sasha Karelov (21-15, 11-21, 15-13).
 
The final matchup for the Panthers concluded with a 4-1 defeat against the Mustangs. FIU's No. 3 pair of Lina Bernier and Natalia Giron took home the only win of the match, defeating Raeann Greisen and Heather Pembroke (21-8, 21-12). 
 
The Panthers will be back in action next weekend, March 18-19, in Baton Rogue, Louisiana at the LSU Tiger Beach Challenge. FIU will play three matches on March 18, beginning the two-day event against Spring Hill at 12 p.m. before returning to conference play against UAB at 4 p.m.. The Panthers close out day one against Houston Baptist at 7 p.m.

(#6) Long Beach State def. (#12) FIU, 3-2 
 
No. 1   Rachel Nieto/Nele Barber (LBSU) def. Helene Thelle/Dorina Klinger (FIU) 21-7, 21-16
No. 2   Katie Hogan/Kari Peterson (FIU) def. Kobi Pekich/Sasha Karelov (LBSU) 21-15, 11-21, 15-13
No. 3   Anete Brinke/Hailey Harward (LBSU), def. Natalia Giron/Lina Bernier (FIU) 21-16, 21-18
No. 4   Anabela Sataric/Estefanie Bethancourt (FIU) def. Morgan Wagner/Heather Weiss (LBSU) 11-21, 21-19, 15-12
No. 5   Jenelle Hudson/Megan Kruidhof (LBSU) def. Margherita Bianchin/Taija Thomas (FIU) 21-17, 21-13
Order of finish: 1, 5, 3*, 4, 2


Cal Poly def. (#12) FIU, 4-1

No. 1    Emily Sonny/Hannah Hubbard (CP) def. Helene Thelle/Dorina Klinger (FIU) 13-21, 21-15, 15-7
No. 2    Adlee Van Winden/Taylor Nelson (CP) def. Katie Hogan/Kari Peterson (FIU) 21-18, 21-12
No. 3    Natalia Giron/Lina Bernier (FIU) def. Raeann Greisen/Heather Pembroke (CP) 21-8, 21-12
No. 4    Savannah Niemen/Anna Gorman (CP) def. Anabela Sataric/Estefanie Bethancourt (FIU) 22-20, 21-19
No. 5    Taylor Gruenwald/Brayden Gruenwald (CP) def. Margherita Bianchin/Taija Thomas (FIU) 21-16, 10-21, 15-8
Order of finish: 2, 3, 4, 5*, 1 

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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/.