MIAMI (March 22, 2019) – The No. 7-ranked FIU beach volleyball team takes a quick trip north, on Interstate 95, this weekend, to take part in the one-day FAU Beach Bash at the Florida Atlantic beach volleyball courts in Boca Raton, March 23. The Panthers, 6-5 on the year and 2-2 in the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association, will face Tampa at 10 a.m. before closing the day at 4 p.m. against North Alabama.

It will be the first meeting between FIU and both Tampa and UNA. The Spartans come into their dual with the Panthers with a 7-5 record and winners of their last six duals, after starting 2019 1-5. UNA comes to Boca Raton with a 3-2 record.

FIU hosted the first of its two events in South Florida, the FIU Invitational at Ft. Lauderdale on March 15, and posted a 1-1 record. The Panthers defeated No. 16 Florida Atlantic, 4-1, before dropping a 4-1 decision to No. 2 USC to close out the one-day event.

Following this weekend, the Panthers will host one of the premier collegiate beach volleyball tournaments in the country, the Surf 'N' Turf Invitational, March 29-30, at Lummus Beach Park on South Beach. The Invitational, in its seventh season, will feature nine teams that are either ranked or getting votes in the week four Top 20 rankings, including five teams in the top 10 (No. 1 UCLA, No. 3 Florida State, No. 4 LSU, No. 7 FIU and No. 10 Stetson). In addition to being the top-ranked team in the country, UCLA is also the defending NCAA National Champions.

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