#4 Florida State Beach Finishes 4-1 At Outrigger Invite

The fourth-ranked Florida State beach volleyball team (8-4) split a pair of matches on Saturday, falling to No. 1 USC, 4-1, before defeating Nebraska, 4-1, to finish up the Outrigger Invitational with a 4-1 record.

“This was a great tournament with a lot of tough teams,” head coach Brooke Niles said. “We have learned a lot about ourselves on this trip and we are excited to get back to Tallahassee and work on some things. Overall, I am very happy with how our team competed this trip.”

The Noles started off the day with a rematch of Thursday’s battle against No. 1 USC. The Garnet and Gold grabbed the first set on two courts with junior Victoria Paranagua and sophomore Macy Jerger winning 21-14 on court three and redshirt junior Katie Horton and freshman Francesca Goncalves winning on court four 21-11. The Trojans took set two on all five courts, however. Graduate senior Leigh Andrew and senior Sierra Sanchez fell first for the Noles as the Trojans won in straight sets, 21-9, 21-17. On court five, redshirt junior Hailey Luke and sophomore Ali Eager fell to USC’s pair of Jenna Belton and Jo Kremer 21-11, 21-18 to put the Noles down 2-0. On court two, junior Vanessa Freire and sophomore Brooke Kuhlman fell 21-18, 21-16 to give the Trojans an insurmountable 3-0 lead. The Noles earned their only point of the match on court four as Horton and Goncalves defeated USC in three sets (21-11, 12-21, 15-13). On court three, Paranagua and Jerger were overpowered in set three (14-21, 21-18, 15-13) as the Trojans took the final point and a 4-1 match victory.

Florida State finished off the Hawaii Outrigger Invitational with a win over Nebraska, 4-1. Paranagua and Jerger earned their 10^th win of the season as a pair, as the duo won in straight sets (21-14, 21-16) on court three. The Cornhuskers tied the match up 1-1 as Andrew and Sanchez battled tough in set two before losing 28-26 on court one. The Seminoles gained three-set victories on courts four, two and five. Horton and Goncalves dominated in the first set 21-9, but were forced into a third set after losing set two 21-18. The pair regrouped and finished off the Nebraska pair with a 15-7 set three win on court four. On court two, Freire and Kuhlman recorded the match clinching point as they came back after a 21-15 first set loss and won sets two and three, 21-12, 15-9. On court five, Luke and Eager finished off the Cornhuskers with yet another three-set victory for the Garnet and Gold (21-9, 18-21, 15-9).

The Seminoles return to action next Saturday as they once again play USC (11:00 a.m. ET) and conference foe Georgia State (3:00 p.m. ET) to begin the Gamecock Invitational at Columbia, S.C.

No. 4 Florida State 1, No. 1 USC 4 – Honolulu, Hawaii

1. Kelly Claes/Sara Hughes (USC) def. Leigh Andrew/Sierra Sanchez (FSU) 21-9, 21-17
2. Sophie Bukovec/Allie Wheeler (USC) def. Brooke Kuhlman/Vanessa Freire (FSU) 21-18, 21-16
3. Terese Cannon/Nicolette Martin (USC) def. Macy Jerger/Victoria Paranagua (FSU) 14-21, 21-18, 15-13
4. Katie Horton/Francesa Goncalves (FSU) def. Abril Bustamante/Joy Dennis (USC) 21-11, 12-21, 15-13
5. Jenna Belton/Jo Kremer (USC) def. Hailey Luke/Ali Eager (FSU) 21-11, 21-18

Order of finish: 1, 5, 2*, 4, 3

No. 4 Florida State 4, Nebraska 1 – Honolulu, Hawaii

1. Justine Wong-Orantes/Andie Malloy (NU) def. Leigh Andrew/Sierra Sanchez (FSU) 21-18, 28-26
2. Vanessa Freire/Brooke Kuhlman (FSU) def. Olivia Boender/Annika Albrecht (NU) 15-21, 21-12, 15-9
3. Victoria Paranagua/Macy Jerger (FSU) def. Kelly Hunter/Lauren Stivrins (NU) 21-14, 21-16
4. Katie Horton/Francesa Goncalves (FSU) def. Mikaela Foecke/Kenzie Maloney (NU) 21-9, 18-21, 15-7
5. Hailey Luke/Ali Eager (FSU) def. Tiani Reeves/Sydney Townsend (NU) 21-9, 18-21, 15-9

Order of finish: 3, 1, 4, 2*, 5

For more information on Florida State beach volleyball, check out:

Seminoles.com

Twitter (@FSUBeachVB)

Facebook (/FSUBeachVB)

Instagram (@FSUbeachvolleyball)

News courtesy of Florida State Athletics.