MIAMI (April 8, 2017) – The No. 13-ranked FIU beach volleyball team (18-10, 8-4 CCSA) defeated No. 10 Georgia State, 4-1, in the final match of the Staybridge Suites Invitational at Florida State University in Tallahassee.  

Against Georgia State, the Panthers introduced a new pairing lineup, which took GSU by surprise. At the No. 2 spot, Taija Thomas and Katie Friesen recorded their first victory of the season over GSU's Haley Pa'akaula and Jessica Fourspring, 17-21, 21-17, 17-15. 

The tandem of Katie Hogan and Lina Bernier played at the No. 3 spot, defeating Georgia State's Natalie Wilson and Brooke Weiner (21-18, 21-17) for their second pair victory of the season. Pair No. 5 of Anabela Sataric and Mackenzie Walker defeated Amie Held and Kate Novack, 19-21, 21-18, 18-16. 

Cinching the match with the final win, was FIU's reliable duo of Margherita Bianchin and Federica Frasca defeating GSU's Chelsea Ross/Delaney Rohan, 21-12, 21-23, 15-12. 

This victory improves FIU to 5-3 all-time against its rival.
 
Next weekend the Panthers will travel back to Florida State for the Seminoles' Alumni Weekend Invitational. FIU will open play against Stetson on Friday, April 14, at 1 p.m. That will be the first of three matches during the weekend, which will also include meetings with FSU and Pepperdine.
 
#13 FIU def. #10 Georgia State, 4-1
 
No. 1 Margherita Bianchin/Federica Frasca (FIU) def. Chelsea Ross/Delaney Rohan (GSU) 21-12, 21-23, 15-12
No. 2 Taija Thomas/Katie Friesen (FIU) def. Haley Pa'akaula/Jessica Fourspring (GSU) 17-21, 21-17, 17-15
No. 3 Katie Hogan/Lina Bernier (FIU) def. Natalie Wilson/Brooke Weiner (GSU) 21-18, 21-17
No. 4 Anabela Sataric/Mackenzie Walker (FIU) def. Amie Held/Kate Novack (GSU) 19-21, 21-18, 18-16
No. 5 Georgia Johnson/Olivia Stasevich (GSU) def. Estefanie Bethancourt/Natalia Giron (FIU) 21-23, 21-18, 15-13
No. 6 Allie Elson/Ashley McGinn (GSU) def. Kari Peterson/Morgan Crawley (FIU) 22-20, 17-21, 15-4
 
Order of Finish: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1
 
#####
 
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/.