MIAMI (April 22, 2017) – The No. 10-ranked FIU beach volleyball team advanced to the semifinals of the 2017 Coastal Collegiate Sports Association (CCSA) Beach Volleyball Championships on Saturday at the Lakepoint Sporting Community in Emerson, Georgia. The Panthers (23-14) advance to the title match after defeating No. 7-ranked, and the two seed in the tournament, LSU, 3-2, in the semifinals. The win for the "Blue and Gold" was its second victory out of three matches played during the day.
 
FIU will now face No. 4 Florida State on Sunday at 1 p.m. for the CCSA Tournament title.

The match can be seen on ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app. Click here to watch live. Click here for live stats
 
The Seminoles came into this weekend's tournament as the one seed while the Panthers were seeded fifth.
 
FIU started Saturday facing Florida State in its third match of pool play for the weekend with the Seminoles coming out on top, 4-1. The Panthers, however would recover later in the day to take down UNCW, 4-1, in their final match of Pool A competition.
 
The only FIU pair to earn a victory over the Seminoles was at the No. 4 spot, as Lina Bernier and Katie Hogan defeated Katie Horton and Francesca Goncalves, 21-13, 21-23, 15-12.
 
To secure their spot in the semifinals, the Panthers took care of business and dominated the Seahawks with straight-set wins on courts five, four and one to clinch the dual.
 
The semifinal contest against the Tigers was originally scheduled to be played on Sunday, however, was moved up one day in anticipation of inclement weather. The match also proved to be a thrilling comeback affair for the Panthers.
 
The contest started off with LSU leading 2-0 on courts two and three, but the No. 1 pair of Federica Frasca and Margherita Bianchin rallied to take down their opponents of Kristen Nuss and Claire Coppola in three sets, 17-21, 21-17, 16-14.
 
Next up, at the No. 4 spot, Bernier and Hogan took down Callan Molle and Cati Leak in another three-set thriller, 17-21, 21-15, 16-14.
 
The final nail-biter of the match came down to the fifth-pair match-up of Anabela Sataric and Estefanie Bethancourt against Riley Young and Megan Davenport, with FIU pulling out the final victory, 12-21, 22-20, 15-11.
 
The NCAA championship will be played May 5-7, in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The CCSA will not be eligible for an NCAA tournament automatic bid until 2018.
 
Florida State def. FIU, 4-1
 
No. 1 Leigh Andrew/Brooke Kuhlman (FSU) def. Margherita Bianchin/Federica Frasca (FIU) 19-21, 23-21, 15-12
No. 2 Vanessa Freire/Victoria Paranagua (FSU) def. Katie Friesen/Taija Thomas (FIU) 21-18, 21-14
No. 3 Macy Jerger/Sierra Sanchez (FSU) def. Helene Thelle/Natalia Giron (FIU) 21-17, 21-15
No. 4 Lina Bernier/Katie Hogan (FIU) def. Katie Horton/Francesca Goncalves (FSU) 21-13, 21-23, 15-12
No. 5 Hailey Luke/Eva Torruella (FSU) def. Anabela Sataric/Estefanie Bethancourt (FIU) 21-18, 21-17
 
Order of Finish: (2,3,5,4,1) 
 
FIU def. UNCW, 4-1
 
No. 1. Federica Frasca/Margherita Bianchin (FIU) def. Tanna Aljoe/Nicole Lott (UNCW) 21-11, 21-19
No. 2. Katie Friesen/Taija Thomas (FIU) def. Emily Corrigan/Maddy Kline (UNCW) 21-15, 19-21, 15-12
No. 3. Katie McCullough/Sarah Kelly (UNCW) def. Helene Thelle/Natalia Giron (FIU) 21-18, 21-16
No. 4. Lina Bernier/Katie Hogan (FIU) def. Sydney Alvis/Bella Borgiotti (UNCW) 21-17, 21-6
No. 5. Estefanie Bethancourt/Anabela Sataric (FIU) def. Racquel Rooney/Halle Hunt (UNCW) 21-13, 21-16
 
Order of finish: (5,4,1,3,2)
 
FIU def. LSU, 3-2
 
No. 1. Federica Frasca/Margherita Bianchin (FIU) def. Kristen Nuss/Claire Coppola (LSU) 17-21, 21-17, 16-14
No. 2. Maddie Ligon/Emmy Allen (LSU) def. Katie Friesen/Taija Thomas (FIU) 21-12, 21-13
No. 3. Katie Lindelow/Olivia Powers (LSU) def. Helene Thelle/Natalia Giron (FIU) 20-22, 21-16, 15-7
No. 4. Lina Bernier/Katie Hogan (FIU) def. Callan Molle/Cati Leak (LSU) 17-21, 21-15, 16-14
No. 5. Estefanie Bethancourt/Anabela Sataric (FIU) def. Riley Young/Megan Davenport (LSU) 12-21, 22-20, 15-11
 
Order of finish: (2,3,1,4,5)
 
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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 Riccardo Silva 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/.