The Basics
- The No. 10 FIU beach volleyball team posted two wins on Friday, during its opening day of the 2019 campaign, at the Stetson University Spring Fling in DeLand, Florida. The Panthers dominated Saint Leo, 5-0, in the first dual of the day, and closed out the afternoon with a 3-0 win over Eckerd.
Dual One Details
FIU 5, Saint Leo 0
FIU (1-0), Saint Leo (0-1)
Rankings: FIU – ACVA No. 10/DiG No. 12, Saint Leo – NR
DeLand, Florida | Stetson University Cooper Beach Courts
- The Panthers made quick work of the Lions shutting out Saint Leo, 5-0, in the first dual of the day. FIU didn't go to a third game in any of the five duals. The Panthers, who were the highest ranked team that Saint Leo has ever faced, looked like a Top 10 team right out of the gate, with
Lina Bernier (San Juan, Puerto Rico) and
Erika Zembyla (Nicosia, Cypress), taking court four, 21-6, 21-11, followed by
Katie Friesen (Manitoba, Canada) and
Madison Besterfield (Tampa, Florida) on court five, 21-18, 21-11.
Ali Denney (Jupiter, Florida) and
Abbie Hughes (Mason, Ohio) secured the win for the Panthers with a 21-13, 21-9 victory on court two.
- Three pairs played their first collegiate duals together, on Friday against Saint Leo; Denney and Hughes at No. 2, sisters Dorina (Feldkirchen, Austria) and
Ronja Klinger (Frauental, Austria) at No. 3, and Friesen and Besterfield at No. 5.
- The All-America tandem of
Margherita Bianchin (Venice, Italy) and
Federica Frasca (Rome, Italy) won their first dual of the year, 21-15, 21-7, to improve to 48-13 all-time as a duo, and 38-13 on the number one court.
- It was FIU's second meeting with the Lions, all-time, with the Panthers improving to 2-0.
Results
No. 1 –
Margherita Bianchin/
Federica Frasca (FIU) def. Brooke Turner/Beka Wachob (SLU), 21-15, 21-7
No. 2 –
Ali Denney/
Abbie Hughes (FIU) def. Nina Vattovaz/Amber Lake (SLU), 21-13, 21-9
No. 3 –
Dorina Klinger/
Ronja Klinger (FIU) def. Payton Bellano/Anilise Fitzi (SLU), 21-14, 21-11
No. 4 –
Lina Bernier/
Erika Zembyla (FIU) def. Annabella Arcari/Sam Bogdan (SLU), 21-6, 21-11
No. 5 –
Katie Friesen/
Madison Besterfield (FIU) def. Kirsten Kaiser/Arlaina Stephenson (SLU), 21-18, 21-11
Order of Finish: 4, 5, 2, 3, 1
Dual Two Details
FIU 3, Eckerd 0
FIU (2-0), Eckerd (0-2)
Rankings: FIU – ACVA No. 10/DiG No. 12, Eckerd – NR
DeLand, Florida | Stetson University Cooper Beach Courts
- In the second dual of the day, the Panthers cruised past Eckerd, 3-0, with two courts – Nos. 4 and 5 – not recording results due to default. Bianchin and Frasca (No. 2), Denney and Hughes, and the Klinger sisters all recorded their second wins of the day.
- FIU improves to 4-0 all-time over the Tritons.
Results
No. 1 –
Margherita Bianchin/
Federica Frasca (FIU) vs. Paula Hoffmann/Stephanie Bogda (EC), 21-19, 21-10
No. 2 –
Ali Denney/
Abbie Hughes (FIU) vs. Ivey Andrews/Rebekah Machovec (EC), 21-15, 21-10
No. 3 –
Dorina Klinger/
Ronja Klinger (FIU) vs. Fernanda Reis/Payton Meader (EC), 21-9, 21-14
No. 4 – No result due to default
No. 5 – No result due to default
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
Up Next
FIU will end the weekend on Saturday, against No. 17 Stetson (10 a.m.) and then against No. 13 Georgia State (4 p.m.). The Georgia State dual will be the first Coastal Collegiate Sports Association contest of the season. Following this weekend's season-opening competition, the Panthers will head to the west coast for five duals, including four at the prestigious East Meets West Invitational in Manhattan Beach, California, March 9-10. The Panthers will begin play with a single dual against Concordia University, in Irvine, California, March 8, at 4 p.m. ET. After the meeting with the Eagles, FIU will take on four of the top five teams in the America Volleyball Coaches Association Preseason poll; USC (No. 2) and defending NCAA National Champion UCLA (No. 1) on March 9, and Hawaii (No. 5) and Pepperdine (No. 4) on March 10.
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