No. 15 FSU Wins Over ACC Opponent Pitt

  0 volleymob | October 18th, 2016 | ACC, College - Women's Indoor

Box Score

FSU Press Release

Three Seminoles topped double figures in kills, including Milica Kubura (14), Katie Horton (11) and Christina Ambrose(10) as 15th-ranked Florida State emerged with a four-set victory over visiting Pittsburgh by scores of 25-22, 24-26, 25-20 and 25-23 in Atlantic Coast Conference volleyball action on Sunday afternoon.

Kubura led the Seminoles (14-3, 7-1 ACC) to 46 team kills by virtue of hitting 14 strikes in 28 total attacks (.500 hitting percentage). It marks the fifth time that Kubura has topped the .500 hitting percentage plateau this season and third occasion she reached the mark against an ACC opponent.

Horton, who also contributed nine digs, finished with 11 kills. She was a solid defender on the front row with three assisted blocks. Ambrose enjoyed one of her best matches of the season as she emerged with 10 kills, seven blocks (six assisted blocks) and four digs.

Melanie Keil anchored the Florida State front row with 11 total blocks, including eight assisted, as the Seminoles held a 34-9 edge in total blocks. Joining Ambrose with six assisted blocks was Mara Green, who added one solo deflection to end with seven total.

Cecilie Woie led the way with 13 digs and while Horton contributed nine teammate Brianne Burkert added seven to go along with her team-high 22 assists.

Florida State used a kill by Keil and a block by Ambrose to break a 10-all tie in the fourth set as it briefly moved in front by two. However, a Pittsburgh (14-6, 5-3 ACC) rally that included three consecutive kills by Mariah Bell and a slam from Kelsey O’Neill gave the Panthers an 18-16 advantage.

The Seminoles converted a kill from Ambrose and blocks by Green and Natasha Calkins to eventually force a 23-23 tie before spending the first of its two timeouts. It was there that captain Hailey Luke came through in the clutch as she delivered a block and kill in back-to-back possessions to complete the two-point victory.

Luke and Horton came through with two service aces and Keil added a block as Florida State jumped out to an 8-5 lead in the third set. Pittsburgh followed with three unanswered points as the two units went back-and-forth, with neither able to take more than a three-point advantage, as the set eventually reached a 17-all tie.

Six points later and deadlocked a 20, following strikes from Horton and Ambrose, a pair of kills by Kubura put the Seminoles in front by two. Ambrose emerged again as she provided the final three points down the stretch, teaming with Keil on two blocks, and driving home the decisive kill as FSU posted the five-point victory.

Freshman Bozena Culo, who contributed a kill and a service ace, was instrumental in providing Florida State with an early 9-5 lead in the second set. The Seminoles followed with service aces by Horton and Burkert, along with a kill off the hand of Kubura, establishing a 15-11 lead that forced Pittsburgh to burn its second timeout.

The Panthers fought back to knot the set at 17-all before taking the lead with Maria Genitsaridi in serve. Facing set point and a 24-20 deficit, Florida State received two assisted blocks from Green and a kill by Horton to pull even at 24. Pittsburgh answered with a series of strikes by Mariah Bell and Jenna Potts to complete the two-point win.

A Horton kill along with two blocks by Keil allowed Florida State to establish a 7-3 lead in the opening stages of the first set. The Panthers regrouped after their first timeout, scoring seven of the next 10 points to knot the set a 10-all.

Strikes from the combination of Horton, Ambrose and Kubura kept the set close as the two teams reached a 16-16 deadlock, forcing a Florida State timeout. The Seminoles regained their lead 21-19 behind the service game of Burkert and kills from Horton and Kubura. Kubura drove home two kills and Ambrose added one down the stretch to complete the three-point win.

The Seminoles return to the road this week when they head to Miami for a midweek clash with the ACC rival Hurricanes on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The match is featured as part of the ACC Network Extra package with Bob Rathbun and Lyndsey Rowley providing the commentary.

For more information visit Facebook (Florida State Seminoles Volleyball), Twitter (FSU_Volleyball) and Instagram (FSUvolleyball).

Pitt Press Release

The University of Pittsburgh volleyball team fell to No. 15 Florida State, 3-1, Sunday afternoon at Tully Gymnasium in Tallahassee, Fla.
The Panthers [14-6, 5-3 ACC] opened the match with a first set loss, 25-22, but bounced back to defeat the Seminoles [14-3, 7-1 ACC] in extra points 26-24. Pitt dropped the final two sets to Florida State 25-20 and 25-23.
“In general I was really pleased with how we fought,” said head coach Dan Fisher. “I was really proud of our defensive effort. We out-dug them by almost 20 digs.”
Despite posting more kills (62/46), assists (58/41) and digs (71/53) than the Seminoles, the Panthers were unable to get around Florida State’s defense at the net as the nationally ranked team put together 20 team blocks.
“We weren’t good enough at the net blocking,” said Fisher. “We also had a few too many attacking errors but I was pleased with how we fought.”
Pitt’s offense was led by junior Mariah Bell, who was one of three players to tally double-digit kills. Bell concluded the match with 17 kills, while freshman Layne Van Buskirk and junior Kelsey O’Neill notched 14 apiece. O’Neill’s mark was the highest of her career, while Van Buskirk tied her season-high.
“The one thing I’d say about Mariah [Bell] is that she just doesn’t quit,” said Fisher. “When things aren’t going her way she keeps swinging and that’s exactly what we want her to do. She’s proven to be one of our toughest players. This was also a really big weekend for Jenna [Potts] and Kelsey [O’Neill] and Layne [Van Buskirk] were both solid offensively.”
Redshirt senior Jenna Potts was the Panthers most consistent hitter, finishing the match with a .636 hitting percentage after roping off eight kills on 11 attempts with just a single error. Potts also had four blocks which led all Pitt players.
Sophomore setter Kamalani Akeo aided in the Panthers’ offense, earning 53 assists. The Hawaii native also posted Pitt’s lone double-double of the day capping off her 53 assists with 14 digs.
The Panthers’ back row defense was led by redshirt sophomore Angela Seman who had 22 digs, while redshirt freshman Stephanie Williams had 12.
Set One: Pitt 22 Florida State 25
Pitt trailed early in the first set as Florida State got out to a 7-3 lead, forcing the Panthers to call its first timeout. Following the break, Pitt outscored the Seminoles 7-2 to come back and take a 10-9 lead.
Five of the Panthers seven points during that run came from kills.
The set remained close with both teams scoring points until Florida State scored three consecutive to lead the Panthers 19-16 and swing the momentum its way. Coach Fisher called his second timeout but it didn’t slow the Seminoles who went on to win 25-22.
Set Two: Pitt 26, Florida State 24
Pitt bounced back in the second set as they picked up a 26-24 win and tied the match at one set apiece.
Pitt got out to a quick 4-1 lead in the opening of the set, but Florida State regrouped and outscored the Panthers 8-1 to move ahead 9-5. The Seminoles remained ahead and led 15-10 but Pitt found its rhythm and put up 10 points to FSU’s two to earn a 20-17 lead.
The Panthers earned set point, 24-20, but four straight Seminoles points would tie the set at 24 all. Pitt would solidify the win on two final kills, one by Bell and one by Potts.
Set Three: Pitt 20, Florida State 25
For the third straight set, the Panthers trailed Florida State at the start of frame but this time caught up quickly thanks to Seminole errors.
Pitt and FSU remained close until the Seminoles took a three point lead at the midway point. Trailing, 17-14, Pitt put together a four-point run to move ahead 18-17 in the set and force FSU to use its final timeout.
The Panthers and Seminoles exchanged back-and-forth points out of the break, but a push by Florida State moved the home team ahead 22-20. Pitt took a timeout to attempt to slow the Seminoles but Florida State returned from the break and ended the set with three straight points.
Set Four: Pitt 23, Florida State 25
In a thrilling final set, the Panthers and Seminoles battled through a back-and-forth affair, in which neither team led by more than two points.
Trailing 16-14, Pitt’s Bell put on a show for the Panthers collecting three consecutive kills to move Pitt ahead 17-16.

The Panthers and Seminoles exchanged back-and-forth points through the final volleys and both coaches used timeouts as both teams changed leads. FSU came out on top, 25-23, after scoring three points in a row to end the match.

Up Next
Pitt will return home for four straight matches at the Fitzgerald Field House. The home stand begins with Notre Dame Friday Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. and will continue versus Louisville Sunday, Oct. 23 at 3 p.m.
The Panthers will conclude their home stand the following weekend when they take on NC State and North Carolina.

Leave a Reply

avatar

Don't want to miss anything?

Subscribe to our newsletter and receive our latest updates!