MIAMI (March 31, 2017) – The No. 15-ranked FIU beach volleyball team (15-7, 5-3 CCSA) finished the opening day of the fifth annual Surf & Turf Invitational on South Beach with a pair of wins against the New Orleans Privateers, 5-0 and the No. 12 ranked Arizona State Sun Devils, 4-1. The Panthers dropped a very close match to the Florida State Seminoles, currently ranked No. 4 in the nation, 3-2.
In the first match of the tournament, the Panthers dominated New Orleans, winning in straight sets, 5-0. Pair No. 4 of
Lina Bernier and
Natalia Giron finished first, picking up their fifteenth win of the season, only allowing the Privateers' pair of Lauren Levy and Rhyan Rand three points in the first set (21-3, 21-15).
In addition, the No. 5 pair of
Estefanie Bethancourt and
Anabela Sataric defeated UNO's Brianna Vega and Samantha Uline, 21-11, 21-8. The two wins bring each pair to 15 victories on the season, tying them at ninth in the FIU record books for overall wins in a season, surpassing the previous mark of 14 that was originally set in 2014.
Against Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) foe Florida State, FIU fiercely protected its home court, coming up just shy of a victory in a 3-2 thriller.
The first to finish was Bethancourt and Sataric, who played at the No. 4 position against FSU, defeating the Seminoles duo of Katie Horton and Molly McBain in a definitive 21-16, 21-19 win. The Panthers continued to battle the Seminoles taking court five, three, and one to nail-biting third sets.
In the final match of the day, FIU cinched a win against Arizona State, 4-1. At the No. 2 position, the tandem of
Margherita Bianchin and
Federica Frasca improved its winning streak to nine matches.
Following the match against Arizona State, FIU recognized two student-athletes who will play their final home matches this weekend in Miami:
Katie Hogan and
Morgan Crawley.
On day two of Surf & Turf Invitational, FIU will once again play three matches, facing No. 18 Tulane at
9 a.m., No. 3 UCLA at
1 p.m. and will close out the two-day event against No. 14 Florida Atlantic at
5 p.m.
#15 FIU def. UNO, 5-0
1.
Katie Hogan/
Helene Thelle (FIU) def. Cara Sander/Victoria Corcoran (UNO) 21-16, 21-16
2.
Kari Peterson/
Taija Thomas (FIU) def. Blessing Dunn/Veronica Corcoran (UNO) 21- 16, 21-16
3.
Margherita Bianchin/
Federica Frasca (FIU) def. Brooklyn Frank/Rachel Kuhn (UNO) 21-13, 21-16
4.
Lina Bernier/
Natalia Giron (FIU) def. Lauren Levy/Rhyan Rand (UNO) 21-3, 21-15
5.
Estefanie Bethancourt/
Anabela Sataric (FIU) def. Brianna Vega/Samantha Uline (UNO) 21-11, 21-8
Order of Finish: 4, 5, 3, 2, 1
#4 Florida State def. #15 FIU 3-2
1. Leigh Andrew/Brooke Kuhlman (FSU) def.
Katie Friesen/
Dorina Klinger (FIU) 16-21, 21-16, 15-11
2. Vanessa Freire/Francesca Goncalves (FSU) def.
Katie Hogan/
Helene Thelle (FIU) 21- 19, 21-19
3.
Margherita Bianchin/
Federica Frasca (FIU) def. Macy Jerger/Victoria Paranagua (FSU) def. 23-21, 14-21, 15-10
4.
Estefanie Bethancourt/
Anabela Sataric (FIU) def. Katie Horton/Molly McBain (FSU) 21-16 FIU, 21-19
5. Hailey Luke/Eva Torruella (FSU) def.
Lina Bernier/
Natalia Giron (FIU) 22-20, 18-21, 10-15
Order of Finish: 4, 5, 2, 3, 1
#15 FIU def. #12 Arizona State, 4-1
1. Bianca Arellano/Whitney Follette (ASU) def.
Katie Friesen/
Dorina Klinger (FIU) 21- 18, 21-16
2.
Margherita Bianchin/
Federica Frasca (FIU) def. Oluoma Okaro/Madison Berridge (ASU) 21-9, 23-21
3.
Katie Hogan/
Helene Thelle (FIU) def. Kwyn Johnson/Katelyn Carballo (ASU) 21-14, 21-17
4.
Estefanie Bethancourt/
Anabela Sataric (FIU) def. Cassidy Pickrell/Mia Rivera (ASU) 21-13, 21-7
5.
Lina Bernier/
Natalia Giron (FIU) def. Katie Cross/Ellyson Lundberg (ASU) 21-6, 21-9
Order of Finish: 5, 4, 3, 2, 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. 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/.
