The Basics
- The No. 13-ranked FIU beach volleyball team finished its weekend at the East Meets West Challenge in Manhattan Beach, California, dropping both of its matches on Sunday. The Panthers suffered a pair of nail-biting losses to No. 3 Hawaii (3-2) and No. 1-ranked Pepperdine (3-2). The setbacks drop FIU to 6-5 on the season.   
 
Game One Match Details
Hawaii 3, FIU 2 
FIU (6-4), Hawaii (5-3)
Rankings: FIU – AVCA No. 13, DiG No. 14 | UCLA– AVCA No. 4, DiG No. 5
Manhattan Beach, California | Manhattan Beach Pier
 
- Federica Frasca and Margherita Bianchin got back on the winning track after dropping its first match of the year to No. 4 UCLA. After the Rainbow Wahine took a 2-0 match lead, Frasca and Bianchin handed their foes a 21-17, 21-13 loss at No. 1 for the Panthers' first match of the day.
 
- Hawaii clinched the match in the fourth game before FIU's Mariana Dal Pozzo and Taija Thomas secured their 21-18, 21-19 win at the No. 5 spot.
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Results
No. 1 – Federica Frasca/Margherita Bianchin (FIU) def. Laurel Weaver/Carly Kan (UH), 21-17, 21-13
No. 2 – Ka'iwi Schucht/Emily Maglio (UH) def. Anabela Sataric/Madison Besterfield (FIU), 21-4, 21-13
No. 3 – Morgan Martin/Lea Monkhouse (UH) def. Lina Bernier/Dorina Klinger (FIU), 22-20, 21-12
No. 4 – Amy Ozee/Ari Homayun (UH) def. Estefanie Bethancourt/Natalia Giron (FIU), 21-9, 21-11
No. 5 – Mariana Dal Pozzo/Taija Thomas (FIU) def. Hannah Zalopany/Paige Dreeuws (UH), 21-18, 21-19
 
Order of Finish: 2, 4, 1, 3*, 5
 
Game Two Match Details
Pepperdine 3, FIU 2 
FIU (6-5), Pepperdine (10-2)
Rankings: FIU – AVCA No. 13, DiG No. 14 | Pepperdine – AVCA No. 1, DiG No. 1
Manhattan Beach, California | Manhattan Beach Pier
 
- The Panthers closed out the East Meets West Challenge with a tough 3-2 loss to Pepperdine, the No. 1 ranked team in America. The Waves won the first three games to secure the match before FIU's Frasca and Bianchin won for the second time of the day, 21-13, 18-21, 17-15, at the No. 1 position.  
 
- Like Frasca and Bianchin, Dal Pozzo and Thomas posted their second win of the afternoon, at the No. 5 spot, with a 21-10, 13-21, 15-8 victory.
 
Results
No. 1 – Federica Frasca/Margherita Bianchin (FIU) def. Brook Bauer/Madalyn Roh (PEPP), 21-13, 18-21, 17-15
No. 2 – Deahna Kraft/Corinne Quiggle (PEPP) def. Lina Bernier/Dorina Klinger (FIU), 21-17, 21-9
No. 3 – Heidi Dyer/Gigi Hernandez (PEPP) def. Erika Zembyla/Anabela Sataric (FIU), 21-8, 21-9
No. 4 – Skylar Caputo/Alexis Filippone (PEPP) def. Estefanie Bethancourt/Natalia Giron (FIU), 22-20, 21-7
No. 5 – Mariana Dal Pozzo/Taija Thomas (FIU) def. Maddie Dilfer/Jordan Ferrari (PEPP), 21-10, 13-21, 15-8
 
Order of Finish: 3, 4, 2*, 5, 1  
   
Up Next
FIU gets back to work at the Stetson/Hickory Point Lake Bash, March 16-17, in Tavares, Florida. The Panthers play Jacksonville during the opening day, with first serve coming at 12 p.m. FIU closes out the first day with New Mexico at 4 p.m.

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