Florida State University Athletics
Florida State Displays "Another Level" of Growth at Garnet and Gold
2/10/2025 1:45:00 PM | Women's Beach Volleyball
TALLAHASSEE – It came down to the third and final set on the fifth and final court. Of course it did. This is Florida State University's beach volleyball team, after all. The only program in the country to appear in every National Championship, be it AVCA or NCAA. A perennial top five team that has become strong to the point that a fifth-place finish at the NCAA Championships are viewed to some as something of a disappointment.
So, it was no surprise that, after an hour on a stunning Saturday evening for the annual Garnet and Gold event, the contest was tied at two wins apiece, boiling down to a deciding third set between juniors Alexis Durish and Audrey Koenig of the Gold team against freshmen Gella Andrew and Kenzie Hultquist of the Garnet.
In the end, it was Durish and Koenig who would take that third set, 15-7, cementing a 3-2 win for Gold on Saturday night. But to the faithful of the Florida State beach volleyball team, from the players and coaches on staff to the parents and the dozens of fans decorating the lawn and bleachers at the Florida State beach volleyball complex, it was a collective victory: A promising start to another promising season on display for all to see.
"That," a father of a player in town for a camp earlier in the day said, "was another level."
It was fair to wonder, during the fall and early in this spring season, what this 2025 team would look like. The transition from the 2024 group to 2025 required no small overhaul of the roster after losing key pieces in Maddie Anderson, Alli Hansen, Taylor Head, Skyler Germann, Raelyn White, Caitlin Moon, Morgan Chacon, and Kaeli Crews from a team that finished 31-8 and went undefeated at home.
So, with the admittedly small sample size of a Garnet and Gold intrasquad scrimmage on the ledger, what does this team look like?
To borrow a phrase from the aforementioned father: Another level.
When considering the glut of youth on the roster, another word comes to mind: Precocious.
The immense jumps made by the youngsters in freshmen Andrew, Hultquist, Myriah Massey, Bailey Higgins, Jordan Boulware, and Skylar Skrabanek were impossible to miss.
"Garnet and Gold was a great first scrimmage for our team," assistant coach Nick Lucena said. "I was really impressed with how our young players stepped up and competed."
The performance under pressure from Skrabanek and junior Madison Binkley, who came back from dropping the first set to senior Angeline Bergner and junior McKenna Flaherty, 17-21, to win the next two, holding onto a 15-13 third set win for Garnet, was notable.
The tremendous command of a dizzying offense displayed by Carra Sassack and Higgins in their 21-17, 22-20 victory for Garnet was at once a confounding mystery that ought not be solved and a magnificent watch for those who weren't tasked with solving it. To call Anna Long's strong return after two surgeries would be an understatement, as her and Massey battled with Sassack and Higgins.
The evident team chemistry of Maddie Trusty and Makenna Wolfe, who put together the most convincing win of the evening, 21-17, 21-14, would have taken a conscious effort to ignore.
"It was really nice to see our team have fun and compete after such a long training block," head coach Brooke Niles said. "All the matches were so close, and it was great to see how each of our players responded in those moments."
Win, lose, sweep, three sets – didn't matter. There were positives to be found from every player on every court, regardless of what color they happened to be wearing that particular night.
"Both teams brought great intensity, and it was exciting to see them implement some of the things we've been working on in practice," Lucena said. "It's always fun to get back into competition, and this was a great starting point for us."
To Lucena's point: In spite of a loss to Brooke Poppe and a manager serving as a sub, freshman Addy White was pleased with the evening. What had she been working on all week at practice? Remaining balanced in defense.
What did she think went well on Saturday? Remaining balanced on defense.
White is just one example of 19 of them on Saturday, every player exhibiting growth in the areas Niles or Lucena or assistant Travis Mewhirter have been emphasizing throughout the fall and early spring. It was evident in Bergner's block moves, in McKenna Flaherty's five aces, in the deep, powerful swings of Jordan Boulware and Kyleene Filimaua, in the pulling defense of Karlee DeGroot, in the offensive consistency of Poppe, in the decision-making of Durish and command at the net from Koenig – the list could go on, all the way down the roster.
For every player, another level was reached. Clear for all in Tallahassee to see.
So, it was no surprise that, after an hour on a stunning Saturday evening for the annual Garnet and Gold event, the contest was tied at two wins apiece, boiling down to a deciding third set between juniors Alexis Durish and Audrey Koenig of the Gold team against freshmen Gella Andrew and Kenzie Hultquist of the Garnet.
In the end, it was Durish and Koenig who would take that third set, 15-7, cementing a 3-2 win for Gold on Saturday night. But to the faithful of the Florida State beach volleyball team, from the players and coaches on staff to the parents and the dozens of fans decorating the lawn and bleachers at the Florida State beach volleyball complex, it was a collective victory: A promising start to another promising season on display for all to see.
"That," a father of a player in town for a camp earlier in the day said, "was another level."
It was fair to wonder, during the fall and early in this spring season, what this 2025 team would look like. The transition from the 2024 group to 2025 required no small overhaul of the roster after losing key pieces in Maddie Anderson, Alli Hansen, Taylor Head, Skyler Germann, Raelyn White, Caitlin Moon, Morgan Chacon, and Kaeli Crews from a team that finished 31-8 and went undefeated at home.
So, with the admittedly small sample size of a Garnet and Gold intrasquad scrimmage on the ledger, what does this team look like?
To borrow a phrase from the aforementioned father: Another level.
When considering the glut of youth on the roster, another word comes to mind: Precocious.
The immense jumps made by the youngsters in freshmen Andrew, Hultquist, Myriah Massey, Bailey Higgins, Jordan Boulware, and Skylar Skrabanek were impossible to miss.
"Garnet and Gold was a great first scrimmage for our team," assistant coach Nick Lucena said. "I was really impressed with how our young players stepped up and competed."
The performance under pressure from Skrabanek and junior Madison Binkley, who came back from dropping the first set to senior Angeline Bergner and junior McKenna Flaherty, 17-21, to win the next two, holding onto a 15-13 third set win for Garnet, was notable.
The tremendous command of a dizzying offense displayed by Carra Sassack and Higgins in their 21-17, 22-20 victory for Garnet was at once a confounding mystery that ought not be solved and a magnificent watch for those who weren't tasked with solving it. To call Anna Long's strong return after two surgeries would be an understatement, as her and Massey battled with Sassack and Higgins.
The evident team chemistry of Maddie Trusty and Makenna Wolfe, who put together the most convincing win of the evening, 21-17, 21-14, would have taken a conscious effort to ignore.
"It was really nice to see our team have fun and compete after such a long training block," head coach Brooke Niles said. "All the matches were so close, and it was great to see how each of our players responded in those moments."
Win, lose, sweep, three sets – didn't matter. There were positives to be found from every player on every court, regardless of what color they happened to be wearing that particular night.
"Both teams brought great intensity, and it was exciting to see them implement some of the things we've been working on in practice," Lucena said. "It's always fun to get back into competition, and this was a great starting point for us."
To Lucena's point: In spite of a loss to Brooke Poppe and a manager serving as a sub, freshman Addy White was pleased with the evening. What had she been working on all week at practice? Remaining balanced in defense.
What did she think went well on Saturday? Remaining balanced on defense.
White is just one example of 19 of them on Saturday, every player exhibiting growth in the areas Niles or Lucena or assistant Travis Mewhirter have been emphasizing throughout the fall and early spring. It was evident in Bergner's block moves, in McKenna Flaherty's five aces, in the deep, powerful swings of Jordan Boulware and Kyleene Filimaua, in the pulling defense of Karlee DeGroot, in the offensive consistency of Poppe, in the decision-making of Durish and command at the net from Koenig – the list could go on, all the way down the roster.
For every player, another level was reached. Clear for all in Tallahassee to see.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
/ Women's Beach Volleyball
INSIDE SEMINOLES EPISODE: 14 | Fall Sports, New Facilities
Thursday, October 02
DB Earl Little Jr.: “Crazy physical game”
Wednesday, October 01
HC Mike Norvell: “It’s going to be emotional”
Wednesday, October 01
WR Duce Robinson: “This is why you come to Florida State”
Tuesday, September 30