MIAMI (April 18, 2019) – The No. 9-ranked, and third-seeded, FIU beach volleyball team will get back on the sand this Friday, April 19, as the Panthers face 10th-seeded UAB on the first day of the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association Tournament in Emerson, Georgia. First serve at the Lakepoint Sporting Community is slated for 10:30 a.m. FIU will close out day one against sixth-seeded Florida Atlantic at 4:30 p.m. 

FIUSports.com had a chance to catch up with Head Coach Rita Buck-Crockett, along with sisters Dorina and Ronja Klinger about the upcoming CCSA Conference Tournament. Click here to see the complete video.

The No. 3 seed ties FIU's highest seeding in CCSA Championship history. The Panthers come into the tournament with a 14-10 mark on the season and 5-3 against CCSA opponents this year. FIU enters the three-day event having won two of their last three duals, three of their last five, and nine of their last 15 to end the regular season.

The tournament, beginning on April 19, will feature pool play with an elimination round and quarterfinal competition on April 20, followed by the semifinals and final on April 21. Pool play will take place within four groups of three teams. The championship will be played at 12 p.m. on Sunday.

The top team from each pool after the conclusion of pool play will receive a bye to the quarterfinals. Teams finishing second or third in their pool will participate in an elimination round with winners advancing to the quarterfinals.

Friday's meeting with the UAB will be the first of the season for the Panthers. FIU has faced FAU twice this year, winning both duals. All-time in the CCSA Tournament, FIU has faced: College of Charleston (1-0) Florida Atlantic (1-0), Florida State (0-3), Georgia State (0-1), LSU (1-0), UNCW (1-0), South Carolina (0-2), Tulane (2-0) and UAB (1-0).

Once again, this season, the Panthers have been dominating on court one with Federica Frasca and Margherita Bianchin being one of the top tandems in collegiate beach volleyball. The Italian duo is currently ranked No. 6 in the nation at the one position, with the duo owning a stellar 19-5 overall dual record with all but three of their matches coming on court one. Frasca and Bianchin are 17-4 on court one and 2-1 on court two. They have won four of their last five matches and are 10-3 in her last 13 matches. In addition, they have recorded six top 30 wins this season, including multiple wins over Stetson's No. 17-ranked pair on court one. All-time, as a pair, Frasca and Bianchin are 66-18 and 55-17 on the number one court.

Lina Bernier and Erika Zembyla have also provided consistency with a 12-4 record on the year and a 9-3 mark on court four. Bernier and Zembyla are currently ranked No. 8 in the nation at the four position and have won five of her last seven matches on court four. They have recorded six wins over top 40 pairs this season, and three top 20 victories, including over Georgia State's No. 11 duo and Pepperdine and Stetson's No. 15 pair.  

2019 CCSA Tournament Schedule

Friday, April 19
9:00 a.m.
Match 1 - Pool I: #1 FSU vs. #12 Southern Miss - Courts 1-5
Match 2 - Pool II: #2 LSU vs. #11 UNCW - Courts 6-10

10:30 a.m.
Match 3 - Pool III: #3 FIU vs. #10 UAB - Courts 1-5
Match 4 - Pool IV: #4 South Carolina vs. #9 Tulane - Courts 6-10

12:00 p.m.
Match 5 - Pool I: #8 College of Charleston vs. #12 Southern Miss - Courts 6-10
Match 6 - Pool II: #7 TCU vs. #11 UNCW - Courts 1-5

1:30 p.m.
Match 7 - Pool III: #6 FAU vs. #10 UAB - Courts 6-10
Match 8 - Pool IV: #5 GSU vs. #9 Tulane - Courts 1-5

3:00 p.m.
Match 9 - Pool I: #1 FSU vs. #8 College of Charleston - Courts 6-10
Match 10 - Pool II: #7 TCU vs. #2 LSU - Courts 1-5

4:30 p.m.
Match 11 - Pool III: #3 FIU vs. #6 FAU - Courts 6-10
Match 12 - Pool IV: #4 South Carolina vs. #5 GSU - Courts 1-5

Saturday, April 20
9:00 a.m.
Match 13 - Elimination Round: Pool I #2 vs. Pool IV #3 - Courts 1-5
Match 14 - Elimination Round: Pool II #2 vs. Pool III #3 - Courts 6-10

10:30 a.m.
Match 15 - Elimination Round: Pool III #2 vs. Pool II #3 - Courts 1-5
Match 16 - Elimination Round: Pool IV #2 vs. Pool I #3 - Courts 6-10

1:30 p.m.
Match 17 - Quarterfinal: 1A vs. E4 (or next lowest E seed if 1A has faced E4 already) - Courts 1-5
Match 18 - Quarterfinal: 1B vs. E3 (or next lowest E seed if 1B has faced E3 already) - Courts 6-10

3:00 p.m.
Match 19 - Quarterfinal: 1C vs. E2 (or next lowest E seed if 1C has faced E2 already) - Courts 1-5
Match 20 - Quarterfinal: 1D vs. E1 (unless E seed changed due to rematch conflict for 1A, 1B or 1C) - Courts 6-10

Sunday, April 21
10:00 a.m.
Match 21 - Semifinal: Winner Match 17 vs. Winner Match 20 - Courts 1-5
Match 22 - Semifinal: Winner Match 18 vs. Winner Match 19 - Courts 6-10

12:00 p.m.
Match 23 - Final: Winner Match 21 vs. Winner Match 22 - Courts 1-5

The CCSA Awards ceremony will take place immediately following the championship match.

Social Media
Fans are encouraged to follow the Panthers on Twitter (@FIUVolleyball) and become a fan on Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUBeach) for all the latest FIU volleyball news. Follow all of FIU's 18 athletic teams on Google (FIU Athletics), Twitter (@FIUAthletics), Facebook (Facebook.com/FIUSports), YouTube (FIUPanthers), and Instagram (FIUathletics).