Beach Volleyball Closes Out Regular Season in Baton Rouge

Florida State is looking for its third consecutive conference championship this season, and this weekend will give the team its final chance to see CCSA opponents Georgia State and LSU before the conference tournament next weekend. The Tigers will prove to be the Seminoles’ closest competition of the weekend, as they are ranked just below FSU in both the AVCA and DiG polls this week.

FSU’s Schedule – Battle on the Bayou

Saturday, April 14

1:00 pm – #7 FSU vs. #11 Georgia State
4:00 pm – #7 FSU vs. Houston Baptist
6:00 pm – #7 FSU vs. New Orleans

Sunday, April 15

11:00 am – #7 FSU vs. #8 LSU
2:00 pm – #7 FSU vs. Jacksonville State

Times listed are EST

Match #1: No. 11 Georgia State

Georgia State has had a successful season since the two teams last met in February. The Panthers earned wins over ranked LSU and Florida Atlantic teams and have gone undefeated at home.

The Panthers have seen their most consistency at the No. 3 position, as the duo of Georgia Johnson and Olivia Stasevich has gone 13-4 on the third court. Brooke Weiner and Tiffany Creamer have been holding down the top of the lineup with a 10-5 record at the No. 1 and 2 positions.

Florida State leads 6-1 in the series. The Seminoles have not lost to the Panthers under Niles, and have won the last four meetings in the series.

Match #2: Houston Baptist

FSU is one of six CCSA teams the Huskies have seen this season. HBU defeated UAB early in the season but has since fallen to Florida Atlantic, Georgia State, UNC Wilmington, FSU and Tulane.

Most recently, the Huskies are coming off of a 1-2 weekend where they fell to No. 19 Tulane and No. 12 Grand Canyon, but defeated New Orleans 5-0 at the Green Wave Invitational.

Florida State leads 2-0 in the series. Prior to meeting earlier this season at Stetson’s Hickory Point Lake Bash, the two teams had only met once in 2016.

Match #3: New Orleans

New Orleans has picked up three wins this season with a 3-2 decision over Houston Baptist and sweeps over Tarleton State and Ottawa.

The pair of Madison Miller and Brianna Vega leads the team with six wins earned at the No. 3 and 4 positions. The Privateers are strongest in the bottom of their lineup, with seven wins at both the No. 4 and 5 positions.

The two teams have only met once in the series. FSU took a 5-0 win over UNO in FIU’s Surf N Turf Invitational in Miami, Fla. last season.

Match #4: No. 8 LSU

LSU started off the season with a big win over then-No. 14 Cal Poly, and later took down No. 2 USC at the East Meets West Challenge. With a CCSA 6-4 record, the Tigers have defeated UNC Wilmington, Florida Atlantic, College of Charleston, Tulane and UAB.

This will be the only time the Seminoles are able to see one of the CCSA’s top programs before the conference championships the following weekend.

Florida State is undefeated against the Tigers. Three of FSU’s five wins in the series have come under head coach Brooke Niles, one of which was in Baton Rouge.

Match #5: Jacksonville State

Jacksonville State is in its third year as a program after beginning the first year beach volleyball was recognized as an NCAA sport (2016). This will be the first time the Seminoles and the Gamecocks have met.

Florida State will be the sixth CCSA team the Gamecocks see this year, as the team has already faced UAB, UNC Wilmington, Georgia State, LSU and South Carolina. Jacksonville State has earned a majority of their wins at the No. 1 and 5 positions, earning three points in each position.

Records to Watch

• Tory Paranagua
  • With an 89-24 dual record, Paranagua now holds the record for the most career dual match victories in program history.
  • Her 102-29 overall record makes her the fifth player in FSU history to reach 100 career wins.
  • Her 19-7 record at the No. 1 position places fifth in program history. She needs one win to tie Leigh Andrew’s 20-14 mark on the first court.
  • Her 42-7 record at the No. 2 position is the second most ever earned at FSU. Three more wins will take the record (Kristina Pellitteri leads with a 44-8 record).
• Vanessa Freire
  • Her 86-30 career dual record ranks second in program history, right behind her partner’s 89 career dual wins.
  • Her 96-33 career overall wins ranks 6^th all-time, right behind Paranagua once again.
  • Her 36-13 record in the No. 2 position ranks third all-time behind Paranagua’s 42 wins and Pellitteri’s 44.
• Macy Jerger is only five wins away from setting the record for most wins earned in the No. 3 position in program history. She has a 31-10 record on the second court, while Sierra Sanchez holds the record with 35 wins.
• Katie Horton now holds the record for most wins at the No. 4 position with a 30-11 record. Francesca Goncalves and Hailey Luke are both tied for the sixth-most wins on the fourth court, each with a 15-4 record.
• Four current players rank in the top-5 for most wins at No. 5, as Hailey Luke leads with a 42-16 record, followed by Eva Torruella coming in second (20-6), Nikki Esposito coming in third (18-11) and Molly McBain tied for fourth with a 15-5 record.

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