MIAMI (April 9, 2019) – The No. 8-ranked FIU beach volleyball team returns to the sand for the first of two single duals this week, to end the regular season, as the Panthers travel to Lakeland to face Florida Southern University on Wednesday, April 10, at 4 p.m. at the Judy and Joe P. Ruthven Beach Volleyball Courts.
The meeting with the Mocs is the first of two duals that FIU will play in a three-day stretch. The Panthers will close out the regular season on Friday, April 12, when they take on No. 10 Stetson in Boca Raton at Florida Atlantic University at 12 p.m.
Wednesday's dual against Florida Southern, who comes in with a 10-11 record, marks just the second meeting all-time between the two schools, with FIU holding a 1-0 series lead. The Panthers defeated the Mocs, 5-0, on March 24, 2018 at the Saint Leo Invitational.
FIU, 13-9 on the year and 5-3 in Coastal Collegiate Sports Association play, posted a 2-1 record this past weekend as it took part in the FSU Invitational in Tallahassee, April 5-6. The Panthers defeated No. 17 Georgia State and No. 16 Florida Atlantic, each by 3-2 scores, and dropped a tough 4-1 decision to No. 3 Florida State during the two-day event.
FIU boasts one of the most dominating pairs in collegiate beach volleyball,
Federica Frasca and
Margherita Bianchin, who come into Wednesday with an impressive 18-4 record on the season, and a 16-3 mark on court one. The Italian tandem is currently ranked No. 6 in the nation at number one, by Collegebeachvb.com, and are the reigning American Volleyball Coaches Association/Collegebeachvb.com National Pair of the Week, for the week ending April 7.
In addition to Frasca and Bianchin, the duo of
Lina Bernier and
Erika Zembyla are ranked No. 6 in the nation at No. 4, with a 12-4 record and a 9-3 ledger on court four, while
Katie Friesen and
Madison Besterfield are ranked No. 21 on court five with an 8-6 record, with all their matches taking place on court five.
Up Next
Following its dual against Florida Southern on Wednesday, and its meeting with Stetson on Friday, FIU will head to the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association Championships, April 19-21, in Emerson, Georgia, at the LakePoint Sports Complex.
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).
