Program Records Highlight Perfect Weekend in Baton Rouge

With a wins over No. 11 Georgia State on Saturday (April 14) and No. 8 LSU on Sunday (April 15), the Seminoles finished the regular season as the only CCSA team undefeated in conference play.

“We had a really great weekend,” said head coach Brooke Niles. “We had to battle weather delays and some tough competition, but our teams all performed really well.”

The Seminoles earned three sweeps following hours of weather delays on Saturday, and closed out the tournament with a close 3-2 decision over LSU and a final sweep over Jacksonville State. It was the only time the team saw top conference competitor LSU before heading into the CCSA Championships next weekend.

“We love having strong competition like we saw this weekend,” Niles said. “Playing teams like that will really help us as we prepare for the postseason.”

Senior Vanessa Freire stayed dominant at the No. 1 position, earning wins in all five dual matches to become the sixth player in FSU history to reach 100 career overall victories. Following her win against Jacksonville State, junior Macy Jerger set the program record for the most wins at the No. 3 position with a 36-10 career record on the third court.

Florida State now turns its attention to the postseason, as the team looks for its third consecutive CCSA Championship. The tournament takes place April 20-22 in Cartersville, Ga.

#7 Florida State def. #8 LSU 3-2

1. Vanessa Freire/Tory Paranagua (FSU) def. Claire Coppola/Kristen Nuss (LSU) 21-13, 21-18
2. Katie Horton/Hailey Luke (FSU) def. Haleigh Nelson/Mandi Orellana (LSU) 21-17, 21-10
3. Sara Putt/Macy Jerger (FSU) def. Olivia Powers/Hunter Domanski (LSU) 21-15, 21-15
4. Megan Davenport/Emmy Allen (LSU) def. Brooke Kuhlman/Molly McBain (FSU) 21-17, 21-16
5. Riley Young/Maddie Ligon (LSU) def. Francesca Goncalves/Eva Torruella (FSU) 21-14, 14-21, 17-15

Ext. Madison Fitzpatrick/Alaina Chacon (FSU) def. Ashley Allmer/Lilly Kessler (LSU) 29-31, 21-10, 15-9

The Seminoles edged out the Tigers in their final conference match of the regular season, facing the highest-ranked CCSA team FSU has seen since the beginning of the season (when No. 4 FSU defeated No. 8 South Carolina 4-1).

LSU took the first two team points at the bottom of the lineup to gain an early lead in the dual, but the Seminoles changed the momentum by taking the first sets in the second round of play. From there, FSU pulled off wins on the first three courts to take the match 3-2.

The win marked the 10^th CCSA win of the year as the Seminoles close out the regular season undefeated in conference play.

#7 FSU def. Jacksonville State 5-0

1. Vanessa Freire/Tory Paranagua (FSU) def. Katie Will/Sadie Anderson (JSU) 21-10, 21-12
2. Katie Horton/Nikki Esposito (FSU) def. Kaylie Milton/Hannah Kirk (JSU) 21-13, 21-8
3. Sara Putt/Macy Jerger (FSU) def. Hailey Hughes/Shayla Schmidt (JSU) 21-11, 21-14
4. Alaina Chacon/Eva Torruella (FSU) def. Grace Jarnagin/Kaylee Frear (JSU) 21-15, 21-9
5. Francesca Goncalves/Madison Fitzpatrick (FSU) def. Ashley Clingan/Kim Krutsinger (JSU) 21-7, 21-11

Ext. Ashley Robert/Avery Poppinga (FSU) def. Maddie Cloutier/Bethany Randall (JSU) 21-10, 21-10

The Seminoles started off strong against the Gamecocks, winning the first sets at the bottom of the lineup with three new pairs. FSU closed out the wins at No. 4 and 5 and the exhibition match to earn a quick 2-0 lead in the match.

In the second round of play, the Seminoles kept the same lineup at No. 1 and 3, while Nikki Esposito and Katie Horton took on the No. 2 position. Another round of quick wins helped the Seminoles clinch the match and continue on with the sweep for its fifth win of the weekend.

Records to Watch

• Tory Paranagua
  • With a 94-24 dual record, Paranagua now holds the record for the most career dual match victories in program history.
  • Her 107-29 overall record makes her the fifth player in FSU history to reach 100 career wins.
  • Her 24-7 record at the No. 1 position places fourth in program history.
  • 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 91-30 career dual record ranks second in program history, right behind her partner’s 92 career dual wins.
  • Her 101-33 career overall wins makes her the sixth Seminole to ever reach 100 wins in a career.  
  • Her 36-13 record in the No. 2 position ranks third all-time behind Paranagua’s 42 wins and Pellitteri’s 44.
• Macy Jerger set the record for most wins earned at the No. 3 position with a 36-10 career record on the third court.
• 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 (22-6), Nikki Esposito coming in third (19-11) and Molly McBain tied for fourth with a 15-5 record.

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