BOCA RATON, FLA. (March 3, 2017) – The No. 11-ranked Panthers (2-0) opened up the season with two victories against Webber International and host institution Florida Atlantic on Thursday, March 2.
 
The Panthers picked up their first two wins of the season, defeating both Florida Atlantic and Webber International, 4-1.
 
FIU had a strong performance on Thursday as a number of pairs downed their duel opponents in straight sets. The No. 1 pair of Katie Hogan and Federica Frasca claimed their first victory together with a, 21-19, 21-19, win versus Florida Atlantic's Jessalyn Kinlaw and Megan Rice. The duo also claimed a straight-set win against Webber's Nikki McDaniel and Alexandra Spadaro, 21-14, 21-16.   
 
Several freshman made their debut on the sand today, including Frasca, Lina Bernier, Molly Shonk, Helene Thelle, Taija Thomas and Margherita Bianchin.
 
"It was opening weekend, so we had some jitters from the ones all the way through the sixes, but for the most part we were able to bring our game," said Head Coach Rita Buck-Crockett. "That was good enough to get the wins, but I think that we can play much better. A win is a win and I am happy that we got those two duels today. We all know that we can play much sharper and cleaner. We made some unforced errors that we usually don't make. But FAU and Webber are good teams and they must be respected. It was a good way to start out and go into this weekend."
 
FIU will be back in action this weekend, March 4-5 in St. Augustine, Florida at the UNF Beach Invitational. The Panthers will take on the South Carolina Gamecocks at 8:30 a.m.
 
FIU def. Webber International, 4-1

No. 1  Katie Hogan/Federica Frasca (FIU) def. Nikki McDaniel/Alexandra Spadaro (Webber) 21-14, 21-16
No. 2  Lina Bernier/Natalia Giron (FIU) def. Carlee Baxter/Tessa Colden (Webber) 21-14, 23-21
No. 3  Michelle Calderon/Hannah Tannone (Webber) def. Kari Peterson/Helene Thelle (FIU)  21-18, 14-21, 20-18 
No. 4  Anabela Sataric/Estefanie Bethancourt (FIU) def. Amber Lake/Brianna Roque (Webber) 21-16, 21-13
No. 5   Taija Thomas/Margherita Bianchin (FIU) def. Katie Schueman/Kaxandra Naranjo (Webber) 21-12, 21-7
No. 6  Dorina Klinger/Mariana Dal Pozzo (FIU) def. Laura Embry/Jordan McIntyre (Webber) 21-10, 21-5
 
FIU def. Florida Atlantic, 4-1
 
No. 1 Katie Hogan/Federica Frasca (FIU) def. Jessalyn Kinlaw/Megan Rice (FAU) 21-19, 21-19
No. 2 Lina Bernier/Natalia Giron (FIU) def. Gabrielle Dischler/Brittany Bellitteri (FAU) 21-15, 21-14
No. 3 Candace Lacour/Carly Scarborough (FAU) def. Kari Peterson/Molly Shonk (FIU) 21-17, 21-17
No. 4 Anabela Sataric/Estefanie Bethancourt (FIU) def. Nicole Grant/Nicole Navarro (FAU) 21-17, 21-17
No. 5  Taija Thomas/Margherita Bianchin (FIU) def. Ashlan Cunningham/Julia Lewkowicz (FAU) 21-19, 18-21, 15-12
No. 6 Sam Gott/Jazmine Barker (FAU) def. Dorina Klinger/Mariana Dal Pozzo (FIU) 21-16, 15-21, 15-12
 
Order of Finish: 6, 5, 4, 1, 3, 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 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/.