TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (seminoles.com) – Sophomore outside hitter Nicole Walch recorded 21 kills to highlight a golden effort by the Gold Team as it defeated the Garnet Team, 4-1 (25-23, 25-14, 20-25, 27-25, 16-14), in a designated five-set match at the annual Florida State volleyball scrimmage on Saturday afternoon at Tully Gym.
Playing behind a good crowd eager to check out the 2013 Seminole volleyball team, Gold recorded a strong .311 hitting percentage as it was paced by its attacking game all afternoon. Aside from Nicole Walch’s team-high 21 put-downs, freshman right-side hitter Izzy Carmona impressed with 17 kills in 36 attacks, helping her to a .389 attack percentage.
“I thought overall the girls played hard,” head coach Chris Poole said. “It’s always difficult when you’re splitting your team up in these matches. It did allow us to see the players perform in some different roles. We’ve got some excellent young attackers. Our young players performed very well, and there was very little difference between the overall play of our young players compared to our experienced players.”
Fellow freshman setter Hailey Luke played beyond her years in her opening debut, registering 59 assists as the Gold team’s lone setter. The Altamonte Springs, Fla. native added 15 digs and a block assist in helping her squad to a preseason victory.
Redshirt freshman middle blocker Sarah Burrington, part of the team’s third-ranked recruiting class in 2012, gave a glimpse of her potential as she recorded 11 kills and a .474 hitting percentage.
Senior right-side hitter Elise Walch is poised for her best season yet, establishing a match-high 26 kills on 50 attacks for a .340 hitting percentage. The Stuart, Fla. native worked well with Garnet setter Sarah Wickstrom, who recorded 50 assists and added three service aces as well as 10 digs.
Senior outside hitter Olivera Medic used an array of difficult shots to record 13 kills. The Subotica, Serbia native added 19 digs in all five sets played.
Returning AVCA Third-Team All-American and senior middle blocker Ashley Neff recorded eight kills with no attack errors for a .364 hitting percentage. The Kennesaw, Ga. native added five blocks in a fine effort.
Redshirt junior libero Katie Mosher was strong for the Gold unit, recording 17 digs and producing eight assists. Redshirt freshman outside hitter Leah Mikesky had 16 kills, a service ace and 13 digs as she looks to earn regular court time in the upcoming season.
Playing as the libero for Garnet, sophomore Laura Dadowski contributed with 10 digs as well as three assists.
Florida State prepares for the 2013 season as it opens at the Long Beach State Mizuno Invitational on Aug. 30-31. The 18th-ranked Seminoles battle Illinois in the season opener this Friday at 2 p.m. ET, followed by 17th-ranked Kentucky the same day at 8 p.m. ET. The tournament finishes with a matchup at Long Beach State on Saturday at 10 p.m. ET.
Follow Florida State indoor volleyball on Seminoles.com as well as on the team’s official Twitter (@FSU_Volleyball) and Facebook pages (Facebook.com/FSUVolleyball).
