YOUNGSVILLE, La. - Beach Volleyball goes 1-1 on the first day of the 2026 CUSA Beach Volleyball Championships, dropping their match against six-seed Missouri State before beating seven-seed UTEP, 3-0.

The Panthers started off well in game one, with Katarina Drozd and Brianna Luoma winning court one in straight sets (21-16, 21-12), before Isabella Pereira and Kendra Brown did the same on court three (22-20, 21-13), putting the Panthers up 2-0. Missouri State won the next three straight, winning the dual 3-2 and sending FIU to the Contender's Bracket.

The Panthers bounced back in a big way against UTEP, sweeping the Miners 3-0, and eliminating them from the CUSA Tournament. Elizabeth Nye and Lauren Coady began the winning for FIU, taking court four in two dominant sets, 21-14 and 21-15. It was the first CUSA Tournament victory in the freshmen duo's careers. Kendra Brown and Isabella Pereira continued the dominance, cruising to a straight set victory, 21-13 and 21-16. It was the second victory of the day for FIU's three pair. Katarina Drozd and Brianna Luoma clinched the dual with their second victory of the day on court one, beating their counterparts 21-16 and 21-18, moving the Panthers on in the Contender's Bracket. 

UP NEXT

The Panthers await their next matchup, playing the loser of the dual between No. 1 Florida Atlantic and No. 5 Tulane on April 24 at 2 p.m. ET, to be broadcasted on ESPN+.

SOCIAL MEDIA 

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