Kyleene Filimaua’s dominant 19-kill performance powered the Seminoles past FGCU, capping a winning weekend in Fort Myers highlighted by explosive offensive depth and a stifling defensive net presence.
The Florida State volleyball team closed out the season-opening weekend 2-1 with a win over Florida Gulf Coast in four sets on Sunday in Fort Myers, FL.
Senior outside hitter Kyleene Filimaua led the Seminoles against the Eagles with 19 kills and a .600 hitting percentage. Junior middle blocker Delaney Ewing recorded 13 kills while freshman outside hitter Sofia Moss added 12 kills. The Seminoles finished the match with 60 kills while hitting .363 and adding nine aces.
The Eagles made the first set competitive by tying the Seminoles at 15-15, however, a 10-4 run gave Florida State the early win with a 25-19 score.
The Eagles won the second 25-19 and were trailing Florida State 22-19 in the third set. The Seminoles struck twice and capitalized on an attack error by the Eagles to win the third set 25-21.
The fourth set saw 17 ties and seven lead changes. It was the first time the Eagles reached set point all match, leading 24-23. Filimaua willed the Seminoles to victory with her 19th kill of the match to secure the win.
Florida State 3, VCU 1
Ewing recorded a match-high 14 kills to lead Florida State over VCU in four sets on Saturday. Moss followed with 13 kills and Kpea added 12 kills for the Seminoles.
Lilo and Callie Keiffer combined for 50 assists and junior libero Maile Chan led the match with a career-high 13 digs.
Florida State finished the match with 61 kills, 46 digs, nine total blocks and 10 aces.
After a 1-1 tie through two sets, the Seminoles pulled ahead with a 25-22 win in the third set behind Ewing’s five kills. Both teams were tied 24-24 in the fourth set before Florida State closed out VCU with two points to take the set and match.
Florida State 2, BYU 3
Florida State opened the season with a 3-2 loss to No. 24 BYU in five sets on Friday. Bailey Higgins led the Seminoles with 14 kills while Filimaua added 13 kills with 11 digs. Lilo recorded a match-high 23 assists in her Florida State debut.
Florida State started the match with a 20-5 run behind three kills from Higgins and six service aces to win the opening set 25-8. The Seminoles won the second set 25-19 but the Cougars responded by winning the next three sets to claim the match.
The Seminoles travel to Nashville for the LUV Invitational, where they will face No. 15 Kansas on Friday, Sept. 4, and Lipscomb on Saturday, Sept. 5.
