ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (March 4, 2016) – The No. 11-ranked FIU beach volleyball team (3-1, 1-1 in CCSA) fell to conference rival South Carolina, 3-2, but swept host team, North Florida, 5-0, in day one of the UNF Beach Invitational at the St. Augustine Pier in St. Augustine, Florida.
 
FIU began the day with a 2-0 lead from pairs four and five, gaining the lead over the Gamecocks. No. 5 pair Taija Thomas and Margherita Bianchin finished first, and claimed their third consecutive win of the weekend (21-18, 21-18). The No. 4 pair Anabela Sataric and Estefanie Bethancourt outlasted USC in three sets (16-21, 21-12,15-13) putting the Panthers ahead. Pairs one, two, and three were defeated in tight contests as the Gamecocks took the match, 3-2.

The Panthers came back fighting in the second match of the day, downing the Ospreys in five-straight victories. The No. 3 pair of Morgan Crawley and Kari Peterson celebrated their first victory of the season. 

The Panthers will be back on the sand Sunday morning, March 5, with a match against conference opponent, UNC-Wilmington. First serve is scheduled for 10:30 a.m.
 
USC def. FIU, 3-2

No. 1 Katie Zimmerman/Katie Smith (USC) def. Katie Hogan/Federica Frasca (FIU) 21-18, 21-18
No. 2 Adrianna Culbert/Ali Denney (USC) def. Lina Bernier/Natalia Giron (FIU) 21-15, 22-25, 15-6
No. 3 Julia Manniston/Carly Schnieder (USC) def. Kari Peterson/Morgan Crawley (FIU) 21-18, 19-21, 15-12
No. 4 Anabela Sataric/Estefanie Bethancourt (FIU) def. Macie Tendrich/Shannon Williams (USC) 16-21, 21-12, 15-13
No. 5 Margherita Bianchin/Taija Thomas (FIU) def. Jade Vitt/Franky Harrison (USC) 21-18, 21-16
No. 6 Hannah Edelman/Caroline Skaff (USC) def. Dorina Klinger/Mariana Dal Pozzo (FIU) 21-19, 21-9
 
FIU def. UNF, 5-0
 
No. 1 Katie Hogan/Federica Fransca (FIU) def. Katarina Raicevic/Courtney Miller (UNF) 21-12, 17-21, 15-11
No. 2 Lina Bernier/Natalia Giron (FIU) def. Chaney Howard/Lauren Gainer (UNF) 16-21, 21-15, 15-8
No. 3 Kari Peterson/Morgan Crawley (FIU) def. Kimberly Ferguson/Carina Hoff (UNF) 21-19, 15-21, 15-11
No. 4 Anabela Sataric/Estefanie Bethancourt (FIU) def. Nicole Debolt/Shannon Mcpherson (UNF) 21-13, 21-17
No. 5 Taija Thomas/Margherita Bianchin (FIU) def. Gabby O'connell/Brittany Pase (UNF) 21-10, 21-14 

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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/.