TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (April 14, 2017) – The No. 14-ranked FIU beach volleyball team (20-10, 9-4 CCSA) took down two top-ten ranked teams in day one of the Florida State Alumni Weekend Beach Volleyball Tournament. The Panthers defeated No. 10 Grand Canyon, 4-1 and conference opponent, No. 9 Stetson, 3-2.
 
The first match of the day against the Antelopes, the No. 5 pair of Anabela Sataric and Estefanie Bethancourt cinched the first win to get the lead over GCU's Kelli Iverson and Jessica Clark, 14-21, 21-19, 15-8. The No. 4 pair of Lina Bernier and Natalia Giron extended their pair wins total to 19 with a 21-12, 18-21, 15-12 victory over the Antelopes'  Tyanna Roy and Emily Reinking.
 
Pair No. 3 of Katie Hogan and Helene Thelle and duo the No. 2 duo of Taija Thomas and Katie Friesen were victorious over their respective Grand Canyon foes in decisive fashion, each winning in two sets and securing FIU's win.
 
In their final match of day one against the Hatters, the No. 1 pair of Margherita Bianchin and Federica Frasca extended their season wins total to 15, beating Stetson's pair of Kristin Lind and Darby Dunn, 15-21, 21-15, 18-16.
 
At the No. 3 spot, Katie Hogan and Bernier defeated Stetson's Tiffany Creamer and Rachel Noble, 21-16, 21-12. This win extends their streak to three-straight matches (3-0). To secure the match victory, pair No. 5 of Sataric and Bethancourt took down Lauren Durham and Jamie Walsh, 22-20, 21-16.
 
The Panthers will go up against host, and No. 4-ranked, Florida State tomorrow at 10 a.m. and close the weekend with a contest against No. 2, Pepperdine at 1 p.m.
 
#14 Florida International def. #10 Grand Canyon, 4-1
 
No. 1 Molly Turner/Tjasa Kotnik (GCU) def. Margherita Bianchin/Federica Frasca (FIU) 28-30, 22-20, 15-10
No. 2 Taija Thomas/Katie Friesen (FIU) def. Rebecca Conrad/Jessica Stanstfield (GCU) 21-18, 21-11
No. 3 Katie Hogan/Helene Thelle (FIU) def. Hannah Towne/Jordyn Sanchez (GCU) 21-14, 21-13
No. 4 Lina Bernier/Natalia Giron (FIU) def. Tyanna Roy/Emily Reinking (GCU) 21-12, 18-21, 15-12
No. 5 Anabela Sataric/Estefanie Bethancourt (FIU) def. Kelli Iverson/Jessica Clark (GCU) 14-21, 21-19, 15-8
Exh. Morgan Crawley/Kari Peterson (FIU) def. Anna Unnasch/Micaela Mirabal (GCU) 21-5, 21-10
 
Order of finish: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
 
#14 Florida International def. #9 Stetson
 
No. 1 Margherita Bianchin/Federica Frasca (FIU) def. Kristin Lind/Darby Dunn (STET) 15-21, 21-15, 18-16
No. 2 Kaylee Anderson/Emily Carroll (STET) def. Taija Thomas/Katie Friesen (FIU) 16-21, 21-13, 15-11
3. Katie Hogan/Lina Bernier (FIU) def. Tiffany Creamer/Rachel Noble (STET) 21-16, 21-12
4. Carly Perales/S. Helland-Hansen (STET) def. Natalia Giron/Helene Thelle (FIU) 21-16, 21-12
5. Anabela Sataric/Estefanie Bethancourt (FIU) def. Lauren Durham/Jamie Walsh (STET) 22-20, 21-16
Exh. Samantha Harris/Julie Varga (STET) def. Mariana De Paula/Mackenzie Walker (FIU) 23-21, 21-17
 
Order of finish: 4, 5, 3, 1, 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/.