FSU’s win over the Waves marks only the team’s second win over Pepperdine in program history (both have come under head coach Brooke Niles), and FSU’s first 4-1 win against them. This win snapped a three-match win streak against the Seminoles for the Waves.

By winning the last two team points to win the match against the Rainbow Wahine, Florida State marked its third consecutive win over Hawaii, and eighth in program history. The last time the Seminoles beat Hawaii was in the NCAA Championship semifinals – sophomore Madison Fitzpatrick and her partner clinched both that match and today’s win over the Rainbow Wahine.

LSU, FIU and TCU join the Seminoles to represent the east – and the CCSA – in Manhattan Beach this weekend. All of the teams at both events are ranked in the AVCA Top-20.

Three teams competing in the East Meets West Invitational were teams the Seminoles defeated on their way to the team’s third National Runner-Up title in 2018. FSU took down USC in the first round, UCLA in the second round and Hawaii in the semifinals to meet the Bruins again in the finals. FSU leads in the series against both Hawaii and UCLA.

There will be no live stats for any of the six matches this week.

FSU returns home next weekend for Alumni Weekend and a Garnet and Gold scrimmage, held at the Seminole Beach Volleyball Courts Saturday, March 16 at 1:00 pm. The following weekend, FSU will host the Seminole Beach Battle, welcoming Arizona, Austin Peay and Stetson.

Match #12: No. 4 FSU def. No. 3 Pepperdine, 4-1

1. Brooke Kuhlman/Payton Rund (FSU) def. Brook Bauer/Heidi Dyer (PEPP), 21-12, 22-20
2. G. Hernandez/Deahna Kraft (PEPP) def. Alaina Chacon/Madison Fitzpatrick (FSU), 21-18, 19-21, 15-11
3. Molly McBain/Kate Privett (FSU) def. Skylar Caputo/Jenna Tunnell (PEPP), 21-13, 21-19
4. Sara Putt/Payton Caffrey (FSU) def. Maddie Dilfer/Alexis Filippone (PEPP), 22-20, 15-21, 15-11
5. Macy Jerger/Jenna Johnson (FSU) def. Melanie Paul/Simone Priebe (PEPP), 21-15, 21-10

Order of finish: 3, 5, 1*, 4, 2

The Seminoles’ first point came from McBain/Privett in the No. 3 position, a quick straight-set decision that gave FSU an early lead. Jerger/Johnson followed close behind with an even more dominating win, setting up Kuhlman/Rund at the No. 1 position to clinch the match. Putt/Caffrey followed it with a resilient three-set win to bring FSU its fourth team point, but the Waves followed through at the No. 2 position to earn their lone point of the match.

FSU is only the second team to beat Pepperdine so far this season, as the Waves had previously lost to UCLA twice.

Match #13: No. 4 FSU def. No. 5 Hawaii, 3-2

1. Morgan Martin/Amy Ozee (UH) def. Brooke Kuhlman/Payton Rund (FSU), 21-14, 21-14
2. Alaina Chacon/Madison Fitzpatrick (FSU) def. Emily Maglio/Hi’ilawe Huddleston (UH), 21-18, 20-22, 15-13
3. Julia Scoles/Ari Homayun (UH) def. Molly McBain/Kate Privett (FSU), 21-18, 21-16
4. Sara Putt/Payton Caffrey (FSU) def. Paige Drueews/Pani Napoleon (UH), 21-14, 21-13
5. Macy Jerger/Jenna Johnson (FSU) def. Kylin Loker/Jenna Banz (UH), 14-21, 21-14, 15-12

Order of finish: 3, 4, 1, 5, 2*

Hawaii earned the first team point with a win at No. 3, but FSU retaliated with a quick win at No. 4 by Putt/Caffrey to tie it up 1-1. As the Rainbow Wahine regained the lead with a point at the No. 1 position, Jerger/Johnson earned their second win of the day to tie it up. With all eyes on the third set on Chacon/Fitzpatrick’s court for the second time this week – FSU’s midweek match against USC was decided in the third set on their court – the sophomores came up clutch and closed it out for the win.

FSU’s only win in the East Meets West Invitational last season came against Hawaii (4-1), and the Seminoles went on to beat them again in the NCAA Championship semifinals in a dramatic 3-2 decision – a match that was also clinched by a win from Fitzpatrick and then-partner Francesca Goncalves.

Match #14: No. 1 UCLA (12-0)

East Meets West Invitational
Manhattan Beach Pier | Manhattan Beach, Calif. \
Sunday, March 10 | 3:00 pm EST

• UCLA improves to 12-0 with a pair of 4-1 wins over LSU and FIU on Saturday.
• FSU has seen UCLA eight times in the regular season in the series between the two, and leads 7-5 in the series.
• Eight of the Bruins’ wins this season were 5-0 decisions, with a 4-1 decision over Pepperdine and a 3-2 score against USC.
• The last time these two teams met, UCLA beat FSU to win the 2018 NCAA Championship. Before that, the Seminoles beat the Bruins in the second round, snapping a 31-match win streak for UCLA and making them the first No. 4 seed to beat the No. 1 seed in the tournament.

Match #15: No. 2 Southern California (8-1)

East Meets West Invitational
Manhattan Beach Pier | Manhattan Beach, Calif.
Saturday, March 10 | 6:00 pm EST

• The Women of Troy improve to 8-1 after a 3-2 win over FIU and a sweep of TCU on Saturday.
• USC has sat in second place in both polls since the preseason, right behind their cross-town rival UCLA.
• In last year’s East Meets West Invitational, USC edged out FSU for a 3-2 win in one of only four regular season meetings between the two teams since 2016. The teams’ nine regular season meetings is the most FSU has seen against any of these five teams.
• The last time these two teams met, the Seminoles beat the Women of Troy in the first round of the NCAA Championships. FSU became the first team to beat USC in the NCAA tournament, and it snapped USC’s six-match win streak against the Noles.

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