TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida State volleyball team bounced back to defeat in-state rival Miami in three straight sets on Wednesday night (Oct. 4) at Tully Gym.
With this defeat over Miami, the Seminoles and the Hurricanes are both 3-2 in conference and are currently tied for sixth place in the ACC. Following the win, FSU’s overall season record improves to 8-4.
The match saw different leaders step up in multiple categories, as a 6-2 rotation helped junior transfer Annie Tietjens led the team with 22 assists, four different Seminoles notched more than five digs, and five different players hit above a .400 hitting percentage.
Set 1 – Florida State 25, Miami 23
While the Canes took the lead early in the set, kills from Christina Ambrose, Taryn Knuth and Brianne Burkert helped the Seminoles pull ahead to hold a 10-6 lead.
The Seminoles stayed efficient through the entire set, recording only one attack error with only one point left in the set. The team’s game-high hitting percentage of .522 helped Florida State keep its lead over Miami to take the set.
Set 2 – Florida State 25, Miami 18
The second set started off the same as the first, with both teams staying within a few points of each other through the first few points in the set.
The Seminoles stayed consistent on offense and let the Canes make its own errors, helping it to pull into a lead halfway through the set. FSU’s defense held the Canes to its lowest hitting percentage of the match at a clip of .135 to roll through the second set with ease.
Set 3 – Florida State 25, Miami 23
The third set proved to be a closer matchup between the two teams as both teams saw an increased efficiency in both offense and defense in the beginning of the set. The Seminoles saw a lower attack percentage in the third set, but took more swings at the net to stay on top of the Canes.
The offense was led by Ambrose in the third set, who hit .625 with five kills and no errors. Five different players hit at a clip above .200 while being supported by the defense, who earned three team blocks and 12 digs.
While the set was tied seven times, Florida State’s increased offense was what helped it keep an edge over Miami throughout the set to win the third and take the match.
Quoting Head Coach Chris Poole
On the importance of bouncing back after an 0-2 weekend…
“We were really disappointed with the way we played over the weekend and we’ve been really inconsistent, but I thought tonight our offense did much better. We’ve been practicing things over the last two days the girls did tonight that they haven’t done this year I’m very proud of them and how hard they’re working; we’re definitely determined to get better.”
Quoting Redshirt Junior Outside Hitter Christina Ambrose
On the team’s confidence from sweeping a conference rival…
“I’m really proud of how our team played. We could have crumbled, like ‘oh we just lost two games, what’s the point?’ but we didn’t. We came out and we fought really hard. I’m very proud of our team. Miami always brings the fight so it’s always great to get a win over them.”
Notes
- Florida State’s record over Miami improves to 32-19-1
- Florida State’s season record improves to 9-4, 3-2 ACC
- FSU is now 6-1 this season at Tully Gym, 3-3 in three-set matches, 9-0 when winning the first set, 3-0 when hitting .300+ and 7-0 when outhitting its opponent.
- FSU’s hitting percentage of .429 is this highest it has seen in a match this season.
- FSU’s 47 kills was the second-most it has seen in a three-set match this season.
- FSU’s combined 43 assists was the most it has seen in a three-set match this season.
- Individual Records
- Taryn Knuth tied her career-high record of two solo blocks.
- Annie Tietjens recorded a season high 22 assists, her previous was 10 (at Louisville, 9/29/17)
- Christina Ambrose set two season high records with a .417 hitting percentage (previous was .393 vs UNC Asheville, 9/1/17) and four assisted/total blocks (previous was three, set four times, last vs. Virginia Tech on 9/24/17).
- Season Leaders
- Milica Kubura led the team in kills for the ninth time this season.
- Her 15 points was the most the team has seen in a three-set match.
- Christina Ambrose led the team in total attacks for the fifth time this season.
- Cecilie Woie led the team in digs for the eighth time this season.
- Annie Tietjens led the team in assists for the first time this season.
- Taryn Knuth led the team in total blocks for the sixth time this season.
- Milica Kubura led the team in kills for the ninth time this season.
Up Next for the Seminoles
The Florida State volleyball team will host Pittsburgh on Friday, October 6th at 6:30. The Panthers are currently undefeated in conference play.
For more information, visit Facebook (Florida State Seminoles Volleyball), Twitter (FSU_Volleyball) and Instagram (FSUvolleyball).
