Florida State University Athletics
Volleyball Battles Kansas State in NCAA First Round
12/2/2021 6:13:19 PM | Women's Volleyball
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Seminoles.com) – Florida State Volleyball prepares for an NCAA First-Round matchup with Kansas State at the Devaney Center in Lincoln, Neb., on Friday, Dec. 3, at 5:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+.
The winner of Friday’s match faces the winner of 10th-seeded host Nebraska and Campbell on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET for the right to go to the NCAA Sweet 16.
“I feel really good about where we are,” FSU Head Coach Chris Poole said. “We deserve to be back in the tournament, there’s no doubt about that. The players have worked very hard.”
The Seminoles (19-9) are making their 12th NCAA Tournament appearance in their last 13 seasons, a streak that was only snapped last year due to a reduced 48-team field. The Seminoles enter the NCAA Tournament with the nation’s 19th-ranked RPI. They own six RPI Top 50 wins this season, including Florida (21), North Carolina (28), Notre Dame (32), FGCU (33) and Syracuse twice (41).
Five Seminoles earned All-ACC honors on Monday, including junior middle blocker Emma Clothier (First Team), redshirt junior outside hitter Morgan Chacon (Second Team), freshman libero Emery Dupes (ACC All-Freshman), freshman outside hitter Audrey Koenig (ACC All-Freshman) and freshman middle blocker Khori Louis (ACC All-Freshman).
Clothier leads FSU in a variety of stats, including total kills (270), hitting percentage (.327), service aces (32) and points (352).
Florida State remains the only program in the ACC to make it to the NCAA National Semifinals, doing so under current head coach Chris Poole in 2011. A record-tying six teams in the league made the NCAA Field this year, including top-seeded Louisville, No. 3 seed Pitt, No. 8 seed Georgia Tech, Miami, FSU and North Carolina.
Current Florida State Associate Head Coach Jeff Hulsmeyer previously was an assistant coach at Kansas State for six seasons from 2009-14, helping the Wildcats to three NCAA appearances including a Sweet 16 berth in 2011.
The Seminoles finished the regular season with the fifth-hardest schedule in the country. FSU’s opponents this season (not counting Kansas State) are a combined 495-287 (.633). The only teams to boast harder schedules are Kentucky (.636), Pitt (.657), Baylor (.665) and Notre Dame (.671).
FSU and Kansas State meet for the fourth time in series history, with K-State owning a 2-1 edge. The two programs last met on Sept. 10, 2010, in a match won by FSU in five sets at the Lady Wildcat Invitational in Lexington, Ky. That was in Coach Poole’s third season with the Seminoles.
Florida State’s 15.80 digs per set lead the ACC and reflect the strongest aspect of this year’s team. FSU’s 15.80 digs per set are its most since its 2011 NCAA National Semifinal season (16.05). Guided by its four primary passers in Dupes (3.80 digs per set), Chacon (2.97), junior defensive specialist Lauryn Burrows (2.47) and senior defensive specialist Caroline Golden (2.23), the Seminoles have been strong on the defensive end this season.
Redshirt junior setter Lily Tessier has also assisted FSU with 2.58 digs per set.
The Wildcats (15-12) are led by the attacking of 5-foot-9 outside hitter Aliyah Carter, who leads the team with 422 kills and 4.06 kills per set. She also is second on the team with 2.51 digs per set, only trailing libero Mackenzie Morris’ 3.99 digs per set.
All matchups in the 2021 NCAA Volleyball Championship will be available via the ESPN App, with many airing on ESPN+ – the company’s signature sports streaming service.