Written by Dalton Tevlin/Asst. Sports Director
At the start of the beach volleyball season, senior Margherita Bianchin and junior Federica Frasca were named to the pre-season all Coastal Collegiate Sports Association team.
The two girls were added to the list on Wednesday, Feb. 20. The addition of the girls reflects on the efforts they made last season as a strong beach volleyball duo.
This is an ambitious start to their season as they look to improve on their previous season’s 23-12 record.
Hailing from Venice, Italy, Bianchin led the team in points (283), kills (241) and services aces (21). Along with the help of her partner Frasca from Rome, the pair have made a name for themselves for the FIU volleyball team.
The duo pulled out a 27-8 record last season and hopes to pick up where they left off coming this time around.
The FIU beach volleyball team kicked the season off against Saint Leo University at the Stetson University Spring Fling tournament.
The two-man team beat Saint Leo on Friday, Feb. 22, with a clear 5-0 victory, defeating the school’s Brooke Turner and Beka Wachob.
Turner competed in the last season in 15 matches and finished with a record 6-9. Wachob finished with an 8-9 record.
For Bianchin and Frasca their five point victory over Saint Leo was obvious.
FIU is currently ranked in 10th place in the beach volleyball pre-season poll, according to the American Volleyball Coaches Association coaches poll.
Having the pair of Bianchin and Frasca at the helm, the FIU beach volleyball team should have a competitive season and maybe a national championship within their reach.
FIU will host their “Surf and Turf Invitational” in March after traveling across the country.
At this intivational, the volleyball team will take on Stetson University, Tulane University and Florida State University.
This would be considered as a home game for FIU as the university does not have designated spot on the campus grounds for beach volleyball games.
Three of the games during this invitational will count to the team’s CCSA record.
The Panthers will head to Manhattan Beach, California on Saturday, March 9 to compete in the “East Meets West Invitational.”
At the invitational, the Panthers will take on the University Southern California, the University of Hawai’i, Pepperdine University and last year’s national champion the University of California of Los Angeles.