YOUNGSVILLE, LA – The three-seeded FIU beach volleyball team advanced in the Conference USA Beach Volleyball Championships with a 3-0 victory over six-seed Missouri State in the opening round.
The Panthers struck first with a win on court three from their most successful pair of the season, sophomore Katarina Drozd and freshman Brianna Luoma. The duo took care of business in straight sets, 21-12 and 21-17, putting FIU up 1-0. Junior Kendra Brown and senior Ola Chudzik followed with another straight-set victory on court four, 21-16 and 21-18, extending the Panthers' lead to 2-0.
FIU clinched the match on court one, where sophomore Ella Gray and senior Julia Panko cruised to a 21-12 win in the opening set. The pair dropped the second set, but bounced back to secure the match with a 15-11 win in the third.
With the win, FIU moves on in the Winner's Bracket to face two-seed Tulane, who also swept their opening round matchup against seven-seed Tarleton State. This will mark the third meeting between the Panthers and the Green Wave this season. FIU edged out Tulane 3-2 in their first encounter, but fell in the rematch.
The winner will advance to the semifinals to face the victor between top-seeded Florida Atlantic and four-seed UAB. The losing team will drop into the Contenders Bracket and await their next opponent.
Match 3: (3) FIU 3, (6) Missouri State 0
P1: Ella Gray/Julia Panko (FIU) def. Becca Bach/Ally Larkin (MSU) 21-12, 18-21, 15-11
P2: Amanda Cleary/Mackenzie Steele (MSU) 21-17,Sophia Vogel/Nicole Robinson (FIU) 25-23, unf
P3: Katarina Drozd/Brianna Luoma (FIU) def. Maddie Schrandt/Morgan Sprague (MSU) 21-12, 21-17
P4: Rylie Cepicky/Manuela Niemeyer (MSU) 21-17, Zoe Cahill/Arianna Franklin (FIU) 21-12, unf
P5: Aleksandra Chudzik/Kendra Brown (FIU) def. Olivia Rattler/Erin Eschleman (MSU) 21-16, 21-18
Order of Finish: 3, 5, 1
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