FIU’s beach volleyball program set to start new era under new head coach
New FIU beach volleyball coach Terri Del Conte has been busy, getting commitments from 16 recruits since arriving on campus in August.
Del Conte added three players for this season, which starts Feb. 24-25 in Jacksonville. Del Conte also secured commitments from six players for 2025 and seven more for 2026.
A native of volleyball hotbed Long Beach, California, Del Conte came to FIU after serving for six years as a head coach – three at Missouri State and then three more at UAB.
Del Conte said she and her husband are loving South Florida.
“Being in Miami is not half bad,” Del Conte said. “We love the warm weather, great food, great culture and great energy.”
FIU has three sand courts on campus, and at least five are required to host the Conference USA tournament. Del Conte said there are plans to add three more courts over the next two years.
The extra courts will also help FIU have better practices as its roster is loaded with 20 players.
FIU’s top duo is comprised of Italian natives: 6-3 Giada Bianchi and Reka Orsi Toth, a 5-11 transfer from Loyola Marymount. Bianchi made second-team All-American at FIU in 2022.
Del Conte said Bianchi and Orsi Toth are candidates to represent Italy in Olympic beach volleyball.
“Reka is a lefty,” Del Conte said, “an intelligent player, physical and athletic.
“Giada is an explosive blocker. She jumps and moves well. They are a dangerous combination.”
FIU’s other recruits for this season are Noemie Cauchon, a freshman French-Canadian from Quebec; and Zoe Cahill, a Pensacola native who transferred in from North Florida.
The Panthers, who started their beach volleyball program in 2013, have never had a losing season. They finished 20-17 last season, losing 3-1 to Florida State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Gulf Shores, Alabama.
After this season, the beach volleyball finals move to Huntington Beach, California in 2025. So far, only California schools have won the national title – five by Southern Cal and two by UCLA.
Del Conte dreams of having that type of success at FIU. For starters, all 20 of her athletes are dedicated to beach volleyball – none of them play the indoor game.
“It’s exciting,” Del Conte said. “We had a great fall. We have high-quality athletes – a great mix of American and international players.”
THIS AND THAT
▪ FIU’s women’s basketball team (13-5) is off to its best 18-game start since 2004-2005. The Panthers are also 4-0 in Conference USA for the first time in program history. Mya Kone, a 6-2 transfer from James Madison who played her high-school ball at Ely, leads FIU in scoring (11.9) and rebounds (7.7).
▪ Nova Southeastern University’s women’s basketball team (14-3) has won 12 straight games.
▪ Florida Memorial University – led by new coach Jameel Smith -- is set to begin its fourth season of NAIA flag football on Feb. 2 with a game against Barry at Bunche Park. FMU went 2-10 last year and is 4-25 since its inception. Smith is a former safety who led Miami Norland to a 15-0 record and a state title in 2011. In 2016, he helped Youngstown State to a 12-4 record and the FCS national-title game, losing to James Madison.
▪ Nosomy Pozo, a Southwest Miami High alum who is in his first year as the head wrestling coach at St. Thomas University, said his top wrestlers are 141-pounder Thomas Williams and 165-pounder Wetzell Hill. Both of them are ranked top-25 in the nation in their weight class.
▪ Barry University will play its first-ever beach volleyball game on Feb. 5 at Palm Beach Atlantic. Coach Leonid Yelin has 12 players on his initial roster.
