Beach Stays Perfect in First Day of Seminole Beach Battle

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Home court advantage seemed to be in the Seminoles’ favor on Friday, as the seventh-ranked Florida State beach volleyball team swept all three of their opponents in the opening day of the Seminole Beach Battle.

The Seminoles took down No. 18 Florida Atlantic, UNC Wilmington and TCU, all in 5-0 decisions, without dropping a single set in the process.

Senior Tory Paranagua earned her 100^th career win on Friday, making her only the fifth Seminole to reach the milestone. Her 102 overall wins ranks fifth all-time in program history, and she is only three wins away from taking fourth place.

FSU returns to action Saturday morning and is set to face UAB at 11:00 am and Georgia State 3:30 pm. The team will celebrate Senior Day prior to the match against Georgia State.

Saturday’s schedule is subject to change depending on weather. Fans can check for updates on Seminoles.com, FSU Beach Volleyball social media accounts, and the FSU Athletics Rainline at 645-GAME.

Seminole Beach Battle – Schedule and Results

Friday, April 6

8:00 am – TCU def. Georgia State 4-1

9:45 am – Florida State def. Florida Atlantic 5-0

11:30 am – TCU def. UAB 5-0

1:15 pm – Florida State def. UNC Wilmington 5-0

3:00 pm – Georgia State def. UAB 3-2

4:45 pm –Florida Atlantic def. UNC Wilmington 5-0

6:30 pm – Florida State def. TCU 5-0

Saturday, April 7

8:00 am – UNC Wilmington vs. Georgia State

9:30 am – TCU vs. Florida Atlantic

11:00 am – Florida State vs. UAB

12:30 pm – UNC Wilmington vs. TCU

2:00 pm – UAB vs. Florida Atlantic

3:30 pm – Florida State vs. Georgia State » Senior Day

#7 Florida State 5, #18 Florida Atlantic 0

1. Vanessa Freire/Tory Paranagua (FS) def. Carly Scarborough/Amanda Silva (FAU) 21-17, 23-21
2. Hailey Luke/Katie Horton (FS) def. Gabrielle Dischler/Jessalyn Kinlaw (FAU) 21-7, 25-23
3. Sara Putt/Macy Jerger (FS) def. Erica Brok/Mackenzie Morris (FAU) 21-12, 21-19
4. Molly McBain/Brooke Kuhlman (FS) def. Nicole Navarro/Kaila Dorish (FAU) 21-16, 21-16
5. Francesca Goncalves/Eva Torruella (FS) def. Brittany Pellitteri/Julia Lewkowicz (FAU) 21-17, 21-15
6. Nicole Grant/Ashlan Cunningham (FAU) vs. Alaina Chacon/Madison Fitzpatrick (FS) no result

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

The Seminoles started off strong in their first match of the event, picking up two wins in the first round of play at the No. 4 and 5 positions. The senior duo of Luke/Horton clinched the win for FSU with another straight-set win at No. 2, and Freire/Paranagua and Putt/Jerger finished off the sweep.

FSU didn’t drop a set in the match, sweeping the match in straight sets on all five courts. It marked Florida State’s second win over FAU and its tenth win over a ranked opponent this season.

#7 Florida State 5, UNC Wilmington 0

1. Tory Paranagua/Vanessa Freire (FS) def. Maddy Kline/Nicole Lott (UNCW) 21-16, 21-14
2. Hailey Luke/Katie Horton (FS) def. Halle Hunt/JM Lewandowski (UNCW) 21-16, 21-9
3. Sara Putt/Macy Jerger (FS) def. Katie McCullough/Brynn Montgomery (UNCW) 21-9, 21-12
4. Molly McBain/Brooke Kuhlman (FS) def. Sarah Kelly/Raquel Rooney (UNCW) 21-15, 21-16
5. Francesca Goncalves/Eva Torruella (FS) def. Courtney Mullinax/Jaime Thomas (UNCW) 21-14, 21-10

Ext. Nikki Esposito/Ali Eager (FS) def. Kyla Augustine/Reagan Evans (UNCW) 21-14, 21-15

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

FSU once again earned a pair of quick wins following a dominant performance from both McBain/Kuhlman and Goncalves/Torruella to gain a 2-0 lead in the match. Sara Putt and Macy Jerger made quick work of their opponent on the third court to clinch the match for the Seminoles, and the top seeded pairs finished it off for a quick route of the Seahawks.

#7 Florida State 5, TCU 0

1. Vanessa Freire/Tory Paranagua (FS) def. Cassie House/Haven Hill (TCU) 21-15, 21-12
2. Hailey Luke/Katie Horton (FS) def. Jillian Bergeson/Jaelyn Greene (TCU) 21-17, 21-9
3. Sara Putt/Macy Jerger (FS) def. Molly Scheel/Jensyn Bledsoe (TCU) 22-20, 21-14
4. Molly McBain/Brooke Kuhlman (FS) def. Avery Arellano/Hannah Rogers (TCU) 21-16, 21-17
5. Francesca Goncalves/Eva Torruella (FS) def. Jordan Westendorff/Brooke Sassin (TCU) 21-17, 21-14
6. Kristy Wieser/Jordan Terral (TCU) vs. Ashley Robert/Bailey Reardon (FS) no result

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

Florida State closed out the first day of its home event with its second meeting with the Horned Frogs this season. The Seminoles’ consistency at the bottom of the lineup helped the team start the match on the right foot, earning an easy 2-0 lead after the first round of play. The teams on the first three courts battled to stay ahead of a strong TCU offensive performance, but it was Hailey Luke and Katie Horton who were able to clinch the Seminoles’ third sweep of the day.

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Volleyball news courtesy of Florida State Athletics.