MIAMI (March 30, 2017) – The No. 15/16-ranked FIU beach volleyball team (13-6, 5-2 CCSA) is set to host four of the top-15 teams in the country this weekend at the fifth annual Surf & Turf Invitational on South Beach. The event will be held at Lummus Park this Friday, March 31, and Saturday, April 1. FIU will play its first match on the event on Friday at 8 a.m. when it faces New Orleans. The Panthers will also butt heads with No. 4/4 Florida State (12 p.m.) and No. 12/14 Arizona State on Friday. Following its 3 p.m. match against the Sun Devils, FIU will honor two seniors, Katie Hogan and Morgan Crawley.
 
Click here for complete 2017 Surf & Turf Schedule, Lummus Park information and parking information.
 
On Saturday, FIU will once again play three matches, facing Tulane (9 a.m.), No. 3/3 UCLA (1 p.m.) and will close out the two-day event against No. 14/12 Florida Atlantic (5 p.m.). 

The Panthers are coming off a dominant four-match sweep this past weekend at the Eckerd College Battle on the Bay Tournament in St. Petersburg, Florida, winning all five contests 5-0. Having posted eight shutouts in its 13 victories, FIU looks to extend its five-game winning streak this weekend.  

Looking at the Privateers: New Orleans (5-7) is coming off a split last weekend at the Third Coast Classic held in Houston, Texas. The Privateers defeated Texas A&M-Kingsville (3-2) and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (5-0), but fell to Houston Baptist (1-4) and Louisiana-Monroe (0-5). FIU is 3-0 all time against New Orleans. They will face off on Friday at 8 a.m. 

Looking at the Seminoles: No. 4/4-ranked Florida State (11-5, 3-0 CCSA) will come to South Beach with a three-game winning streak after the Gamecock Grand Slam hosted by South Carolina last weekend. The Seminoles fell to No. 1-ranked, and defending national champion, Southern California in their first match, but went on to defeat No. 10 Georgia State (3-2), No. 9 South Carolina (4-1) and No. 14 Stetson (4-1). Overall the Panthers are 2-3 against the Seminoles, with their last decision resulting in a 3-2 loss for FIU. The rematch to tie the all-time series is scheduled for Friday at 12 p.m. 

Looking at the Sun Devils: No. 12/14-ranked Arizona State (7-7) concluded play at the Horned Frog Challenge, last weekend, with one victory over TCU (3-2) and two-consecutive losses against No. 8 LSU (2-3, 1-4). The Sun Devils will make their first trip South Beach this weekend, with first serve scheduled for 3 p.m. 

Looking at the Green Wave: Tulane (13-5, 3-5 CCSA), who is receiving votes in both the AVCA and DiG polls, went a 3-1 at the College of Charleston Beach Classic this past weekend. The Green Wave split day one, defeating Mercer (4-1) and falling to the host Cougars (2-3). Tulane, however, swept Lincoln Memorial (5-0) and UNCW (5-0) to round out the tournament. This will be the fifth contest between the Green Wave and the Panthers, with FIU leading the all-time series, 3-1. The Panthers and Tulane will meet on the sand on Saturday at 9 a.m. 

Looking at the Bruins: No. 3-ranked UCLA (12-2) is rolling into South Beach with an impressive ten-match winning streak. The Bruins are coming off two-straight victories on March 27 over No. 11 California (4-1) and No. 6 Long Beach State (3-2). This will be the second meeting between the Panthers and the Bruins this season. UCLA defeated FIU, 4-1, on March 11 in the East Meets West Invitational in Manhattan Beach, California. The Bruins lead the all-time series, 1-0. First serve is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday. 

Looking at the Owls: No. 14/12-ranked Florida Atlantic (17-2, 3-1 CCSA) is on fire with a seventeen-game winning streak, not dropping a match since their second contest of the season against Stetson. Their first match-up between the Owls and the Panthers resulted in the Owls first loss of the season during opening weekend (4-1). All-time, the Panthers have dominated the series, 8-0, with their first victory over the Owls coming back in 2013. The Panthers look to extend that winning streak on Sunday at 5 p.m.
 
Note: National rankings are listed as AVCA/DiG Magazine.
 
#####
 
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 offer 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 $8.9 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/.