Florida State University Athletics
Florida State
3-1,0-0ACC
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#16 Kansas
1-3,0-0Big 12
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida St. | 26 | 21 | 19 | 28 | 15 | 3 |
| Kansas | 24 | 25 | 25 | 26 | 13 | 2 |
Seminoles Rally Past No. 16 Kansas in Five-Set Thriller
9/4/2026 8:00:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
NASHVILLE – The Florida State volleyball team (3-1) rallied to defeat No. 16 Kansas (1-3), 3-2 (26-24, 21-25, 19-25, 28-26, 15-13), Friday evening at the LUV Invitational at Allen Arena in Nashville.
Florida State was taken to five sets for the second time in its first four matches and earned its first five-set victory since defeating Notre Dame on Nov. 16, 2025. The victory also marked the Seminoles' first win over a ranked opponent since defeating No. 15 North Carolina at home on Nov. 21, 2025.
Senior outside hitter Kyleene Filimaua led the Seminoles with a season-best 23 kills, marking her second double-double of the season after adding 16 digs. She also finished with a match-high 24 points.
Sophomore middle blocker Nenu Kpea was dominant at the net, recording a career-high 17 kills while hitting .536. Florida State had four players record double-digit kills, including freshman outside hitter Sofia Moss, who set a new career high with 14 kills. Junior middle blocker Delaney Ewing added 10 kills while hitting a team-best .556 on 18 attempts.
Junior setter Emma Lilo paced the Seminole offense with a season-high 40 assists, while junior libero Maile Chan led all players with a career-high 17 digs.
Florida State opened the match by battling Kansas point-for-point, taking a 15-14 lead at the first media timeout. Kansas regained the advantage at 21-20, but Florida State closed the set on a 6-3 run to take the opening frame 26-24.
Kansas answered in the second set, with the Seminoles keeping the score close throughout. The Jayhawks held a 15-14 advantage at the media timeout before using a 3-0 run to extend their lead. Florida State battled to stay within striking distance, but Kansas closed the set, 25-21 to even the match.
The Jayhawks carried the momentum into the third set and continued to hold off the Seminoles down the stretch, taking the set 25-19 to move ahead 2-1.
Florida State responded in a back-and-forth fourth set. Kansas built an early 14-10 lead before the Seminoles answered with a 5-0 run to take their first lead since the opening points. The teams traded points late, eventually reaching a 22-22 tie. A solo block from Filimaua and a Kansas attack error gave Florida State set point at 24-22. The Jayhawks responded with three straight points to take a 25-24 lead. The Seminoles fought off two match points before kills from Filimaua and Moss gave Florida State another set point, which the Seminoles converted following a Kansas attack error to force a decisive fifth set.
The Seminoles carried that momentum into the final frame, breaking a 7-7 tie with three consecutive points to take a 10-7 lead. Kansas fought back to cut the deficit to one at 12-11, but Filimaua answered with back-to-back kills to give Florida State match point. Kansas trimmed the lead to 14-13, but Filimaua delivered once again, recording her 23rd kill of the night to clinch the five-set victory and complete the comeback against the No. 16 Jayhawks.
Florida State remains in Nashville for the LUV Invitational and will take on host Lipscomb Saturday at 7 p.m. ET. The match will be broadcast live on ESPN+, with live stats available on Seminoles.com.
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