ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. (March 5, 2017)– The eleventh-ranked Panthers (5-1, 3-1 in CCSA) wrap up the weekend at the UNF Beach Invitational with an impressive 3-1 finish. FIU Volleyball dominated on Sunday, March 5, with two consecutive victories against UNC-Wilmington (5-0) and then the College of Charleston (4-1).
 
The Panthers clinched opening weekend with a handful of victories under their belt and several pairs finished undefeated. Pair four of Estefanie Bethancourt and Anabela Sataric, and pair five of Taija Thomas and Margherita Bianchin are both 6-0 this season.
 
Pair No. 1 of Katie Hogan and Federica Frasca and pair No. 2 of Lina Bernier and Natalia Giron both concluded the opening weekend with fives wins and one loss apiece. Overall the team extends their winning streak to three and looks to build on it, while looking ahead to the challenging lineup they will face next week.
 
The Panthers travel to Manhattan Beach, Calif. next weekend, March 11-12, to hit the sand in the East Meets West Tournament hosted by UCLA. On March 11, the Panthers will face USC on at 1:30 p.m. and UCLA at 6:30 p.m. to open the event before concluding with Long Beach State at 1 p.m. and Cal Poly at 5 p.m. on March 12. 
 
(#11) FIU def. UNCW, 5-0
 
No. 1  Katie Hogan/Federica Frasca (FIU) def. Tanna Aljoe/Nicole Lott (UNCW) 21-15, 22-26, 16-4
No. 2  Lina Bernier/Natalia Giron (FIU) def. Emily Corrigan/Katie McCullough (UNCW) 21-10, 21-13
No. 3  Kari Peterson/Morgan Crawley (FIU) def. Maddy Kline/Raquel Rooney (UNCW) 21-19, 19-21, 15-8
No. 4  Anabela Sataric/Estefanie Bethancourt (FIU) def. Sydney Alvis/Sarah Kelly (UNCW) 21-16, 21-17
No. 5  Taija Thomas/Margherita Bianchin (FIU) def. Halle Hunt/Courtney Mullinax (UNCW) 30-28, 21-13
 
 (#11) FIU def. College of Charleston, 4-1
 
No. 1  Katie Hogan/Federica Frasca (FIU) def. Maddie Hills/Katja Ehlers (COC) 21-7, 21-13
No. 2  Lina Bernier/Natalia Giron (FIU) def. Krissy Mummey/McKala Rhodes (COC) 21-12, 21-14
No. 3  Riana Brennan/Kennedy Madison (COC) def. Kari Peterson/Morgan Crawley (FIU) 21-17, 21-15
No. 4  Anabela Sataric/Estefanie Bethancourt (FIU) def. Devon Rachel/Allison Beckman (COC) 21-10, 21-13
No. 5  Taija Thomas/Margherita Bianchin (FIU) def. Taylor Folley/Lauren Freed (COC) 24-22, 21-16

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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/.