Youngsville, La. - No. 2 seed FIU is eliminated from the Conference USA Beach Volleyball Championships after dropping two of their three matches on the second day of the double elimination tournament.
Match One: Florida Atlantic
FIU began their day against their longtime rival, Florida Atlantic, in the second round of the CUSA Beach Volleyball Tournament. The match was hard-fought from the jump, with three out of the five matches going into three sets. FIU dropped the duel on court two, but Giada Bianchi and Reka Orsi Toth earned the first point for the Panthers on court one in straight sets, winning both sets 21-18, tying the match up before Florida Atlantic took the lead again on court five. Zuzanna Bielak and Lucie Pokorna gutted out a win in three sets on court three, winning their first 21-17 before dropping their second, but completed the win in the third with a 16-14 victory. The Owls claimed the match with a win in three sets on court four.
(2) FIU 2, (3) Florida Atlantic 3
P1: Giada Bianchi/Reka Orsi Toth (FIU) def. Juli Honzovicova/Ashleigh Adams (FAU) 21-18, 21-18
P2: Marketa Svozilova/Courtney Moon (FAU) def. Lisa Luini/Alice Pratesi (FIU) 21-16, 21-15
P3: Zuza Bielak/Lucie Pokorna (FIU) def. Olivia Strandberg/Mikayla Law-Heese (FAU) 21-17, 14-21, 16-14
P4: Kate McLaughlin/Logan Mignerey (FAU) def. Lauren Huggins/Kendra Brown (FIU) 19-21, 21-11, 15-11
P5: Kendall Mignerey/Sloane Woolwine (FAU) def. Zoe Cahill/Hania Taduran (FIU) 21-15, 21-17
Order of Finish: 2, 1, 5, 3, 4
Match Two: University of Alabama - Birmingham
After heading to the contenders bracket, the Panthers cruised to a victory in their next match, beating the Blazers 3-0. Once again, Giada Bianchi and Reka Orsi Toth took home the first point for the Panthers, winning in straight sets 21-14 and 21-10. On court four, Lauren Huggins and Kendra Brown leveled UAB, winning 21-7 and following the performance up with a 21-12 victory to gain the Panthers their second point of the match. Alice Pratesi and Lisa Luini completed the sweep on court two, winning in straight sets 21-14 and 21-18.
(2) FIU 3, (4) UAB 0
P1: Giada Bianchi/Reka Orsi Toth (FIU) def. Arden Copping/Jazzie Haas (UAB) 21-14, 21-10
P2: Lisa Luini/Alice Pratesi (FIU) def. Jess Ennis/Izzy Day (UAB) 21-14, 21-18
P3: Zuza Bielak/Lucie Pokorna (FIU) 24-22, Brooke Pertuit/Olivia Chychrun (UAB) unf
P4: Lauren Huggins/Kendra Brown (FIU) def. Olivia Stant/Sadie Sharpe (UAB) 21-7, 21-12
P5: Addison Atkins/Ashley Torsone (UAB) 21-15, Zoe Cahill/Hania Taduran (FIU) unf
Order of Finish: 1, 4, 2
Match Three: Tulane University
The Panthers headed into the matchup with Tulane with a chance to go to semifinals of the tournament. The duel started well for the Panthers, with Giada Bianchi and Reka Orsi Toth once again gaining the Panthers' first point in straight sets, with 21-14 and 21-10 victories. Tulane tied up the match after winning on court four, but FIU quickly took the lead back with a victory on court two by Lisa Luini and Alice Pratesi. The pair won in straight sets with 21-15 and 21-18 wins. The Panthers battled on courts three and five, but could not pull out the victories, dropping the match in a close 3-2 clash.
(5) Tulane 3, (2) FIU 2
P1: Giada Bianchi/Reka Orsi Toth (FIU) def. Trinity Jackson/Molly Trodd (TLN) 21-14, 21-10
P2: Lisa Luini/Alice Pratesi (FIU) def. Sara Hall/Savka Popovic (TLN) 21-15, 21-18
P3: Lara Torruella/Tawny Ensign (TLN) def. Zuza Bielak/Lucie Pokorna (FIU) 23-21, 21-18
P4: Skylar Ensign/Sam Green (TLN) def. Lauren Huggins/Kendra Brown (FIU) 21-17, 21-12
P5: Kenzie Cutler/Amelia Mullen (TLN) def. Zoe Cahill/Hania Taduran (FIU) 21-18, 21-18
Order of Finish 1, 4, 2, 5, 3
UP NEXT
The Panthers will find out if they made it to nationals during the NCAA Beach Volleyball Selection Show on Sunday, April 28 at 11:00 A.M. ET. FIU is hoping to make their second straight appearance in the dance, after going to the tournament in the 2023 season. A link to the show will be on the front page of NCAA.com.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Get all the latest information on the team by following @FIUbeach on Instagram, or @FIUBeachVB on Twitter, and @FIUBeach on Facebook. General athletic news can also be found at @FIUSports on Facebook and @FIUAthletics on Twitter and Instagram.
