This is What's New at FIU Week in the Balls, Jocks and Clocks part of the university.
Tuesday: Spring Football practice will give the public the first look at FIU under Ron Turner and his staff. That's right, "the public" as practices will be open for viewing. Granted, the 9 a.m. start puts it square in the Make The Money to Pay The Man part of the day, but better then than during 836 rush hour or The Big Bang Theory.
Thursday's practice will be the same time. Saturday's will be 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. That means there's probably time to hit...
Saturday morning: 9 a.m., FIU Sand Volleyball's first home match, vs. Webber International.
The team spent the last two weeks in Hawaii and California, which is to beach volleyball what Philadelphia used to be for middleweights. No. 8 FIU got smoked by No. 1-ranked defending national champion Pepperdine 5-0, but played No. 2 Long Beach State and No. 5 Hawaii tough in a pair of 3-2 losses. The pair of Kate Stepanova and Ksenia Sukhareva won the Hawaii Tournament, a 16-pair tournament with teams from host Hawaii, Chaminade and Hawaii Pacific. They beat another FIU pair, Jessica Mensoza and Maryna Samoday, in the final.
(The American Volleyball Coaches Association sanctions the national championship and handles the national rankings. When more schools have been playing sand volleyball for a few years, the NCAA will take over that function).
