MIAMI – FIU beach volleyball head coach Terri Del Conte informed team members on Wednesday that she will be stepping away from coaching to focus on her family. 
 
A native of California, Del Conte served as the head coach of the Panthers for two seasons and continued to elevate FIU's nationally ranked beach volleyball program.
 
"My experience at FIU made this decision very hard," Del Conte said. "I loved working with Scott (Carr, Athletics Director), Julie (Berg, Deputy AD), FIU staff and, above all, the team. I have had many goals since graduating college that I put a pin in, and one of those is building a family.
 
"That is my main focus over the next couple of years, along with serving my hometown community in every way I can," Del Conte continued. "After the passing of my father, it has put into perspective the importance of family and it's time to make that more of a priority. Thank you, Panther family, for all the love expressed over these last two years – they have been memorable!"
 
During Del Conte's tenure, FIU had a national ranking as high as 12th in the AVCA Poll. The Panthers advanced to the semifinals of the Conference USA Tournament this past season and won 37 matches in total over two years, six of which came against top-20 teams.
 
"We are very appreciative of Terri's time here at FIU and her service in not only leading, but growing, our beach volleyball program to be one of the best in the country," added Director of Athletics Scott Carr. "Although we hoped she would continue as our head coach, we understand and respect her decision and desire to prioritize family and wish her the best."
 
Del Conte's tenure saw five student-athletes named to All-CUSA squads, including 2025 CUSA Freshman of Year Brianna Luoma. She also had two AVCA All-Americans under her watch: Giada Bianchi and Reka Orsi Toth. Del Conte will continue to assist the program during the transition as a national search for her replacement gets underway.