FSU 74 gatros 87 The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly


The Good

What looked like it was going to be a big blow out with the 20th ranked gatros leading by as many as 18 points midway through the first half, turned into a close contest with just 2:23 left. A 6-0 FSU run closed the gap to just four points, 77-73. Unfortunately the shots would not fall in those last two minutes. Meanwhile the gatros went on a 10-0 run making ridiculous shots such as the banked three by Sam Alexis right before the shot clock sounded. It was a common theme for the Seminoles this season so far where they struggled in the first half trailing 44-31 and then turned up their game in the second period. FSU came out of the locker room with a little more cohesiveness closing the gap to 8 and 9 points multiple times before making it just a four point deficit.

Pressure defense forced the veteran guards of that other team into 19 turnovers resulting in 16 points, most of which were scored in the second half. That other team in its first three games had been taking care of the ball very well. On the flip side, FSU took care of the ball committing just 8 miscues.

Jamir Watkins. After a very rough start offensively, Watkins ended up with 19 points and 7 rebounds. And that was with major foul trouble in the second half. Credit him for managing to stay in the game after picking up his fourth foul with just under eight minutes left.

Three point shooting. Coming into the game, FSU was averaging a miserable 21% from the arc. Tonight the 'Noles were 7-20 (35%). Perimeter defense is a short coming of the gatros and FSU took advantage of it.

FSU's defense holding the gatros under their season scoring average of 88.3 ppg. (Yes, that was sarcasm.)

Plays of the game: Watkins with the assist to Malique Ewin who worked his way completely clear of any defender for the slam, 8-5. Taylor Bol Bowen grabs the defensive rebound, finds no one caring to guard him, and goes the length of the floor for the turnaround floater, 10-9. Bol Bowen left totally unguarded (and for good reason) as he pulls up at the arc and cans the three, 17-23. Ewin's dribble drive to the left of the lane for the lay up, 25-39. Again Bol Bowen intercepting the pass immediately after a Seminole turnover and gets the pass off to a teammate as he is falling to the floor. Chandler Jackson finding Dequan Davis on the fast break for the lay up plus the foul, 57-69;. Watkins gets the pass to Davis for the lay up, 73-77.


The Bad

FSU falls to 3-1 on the season. Coming into the game FSU had lost three straight with two of the three losses by double digits. Make that 4 straight and three of four losses on the high side of ten. FSU's last lead was early in the game at 10-9.

Coming into the game that other team was averaging just 26% from the arc. By the half, the gatros were 7-15 (47%) from the arc finishing the game 10-28 (35%). Apparently perimeter defense is an issue for FSU as well.

In his pre game interview, Leonard Hamilton's keys to the game were cutting down on turnovers, pass more, and raise their FT %. Cut turnovers, check. Pass more , 185 when the staff is looking for 225, no check. And do better at the line, just 62% (13-21), no check. Apparently this squad is not familiar with Meatloaf.

Hamilton is still looking for the team's offense to be more in sync. Making a few more of those numerous missed shots in the paint tonight would improve that.

Ewin with four turnovers, two very early in the game. He needs to get off to better starts to the games. He did finish with 10 points and 4 boards.

Question for Bostyn Holt. How do you not know coming out of a timeout that time is short and you better launch the shot like right now and not be holding the ball as the shot clock sounds?

The second unit had their struggles when they came into the game at the first official timeout. The gatros offense ripped them to shreds.


The Ugly

Hamilton said it best after the game. FSU cannot continue to get outrebounded this badly and expect to win games. Tonight the 'Noles were beaten on the boards, 47-29. Indicative on how bad it was, the gatros in the second half had three offensive boards on one possession. After the fourth shot, did FSU get the rebound? Nooooooo, they picked up a loose ball foul.

Watkins and FT shooting. Last season he was somewhere in the mid 80% from the stripe. He is far worse than that this season with tonight being the low point in four games. He was a miserable 5-11.

Attendance was announced as 9,700 plus. Sure did not look like it. Or were they all stuffed into the upper deck?

Whoever wrote in one of the scouting reports I read that this game was the 24th meeting between the two teams. Yeah .............. in this century!!!!!!


Up Next

Hofstra comes to Tallahassee on Tuesday. A 7 PM tip, the game will be aired on the ACCNX. Hofstra appears to be a pretty good team currently sitting at 3-0 having beaten Iona and Seton Hall. And oh yes, Old Westbury (as opposed to New Westbury). They have three players averaging double figures with Jean Aranguren leading the team with 18-7 ppg.

Florida State will play host to Florida on Friday at 6 p.m. (ACC Network).

FSU is 3-0, taking wins over Northern Kentucky, Rice and Tarleton State. The Seminoles are among the nation's worst teams from 3-point range (344th at 21 percent) and not so good from the FT line (241st at 66.7 percent). FSU is shooting 57.7 from inside the arc, 75th in the nation.

UF has taken care of business in three wins - USF (98-83), Jacksonville (81-60) and Grambling State (86-62). This is UF's first true road game (they faced USF on a neutral court).

The Gators are bad from beyond the arc (26 percent) but very good from 2-point (65.8) and are decent at the FT line (73.8).

FSU had owned this rivalry for a while, through the Trent Forrest years in particular. UF routed FSU in Gainesville by 21 last year.

Chandler Jackson talked briefly after FSU's win over Tarleton on Tuesday. It's weird for me to think of him as the veteran of the team (a true junior) and a leader, but that's a role he is trying to take on for the Seminoles.

"I try to be a coach on the court for the guys, a player-coach, as much as I can," Jackson said.

He said FSU's defensive system is "not easy to learn" and that he's spent time before and after practices helping the newer Seminoles try to understand it.

An interesting response to a question about the difference in this team compared to prior years:

"In my opinion, we’ve been playing way harder than the last few years I’ve been here," Jackson said. "And I love it. But I also feel like the older guys, we set the tone. They follow. We lead and they follow. Me, Jamir (Watkins), Taylor (Bol Bowen). Once they see one of us do it, they have no problem falling in line and doing it with us. That’s the good thing. Our leaders this year are actually leading and the people that’s supposed to follow are following."

FSU sports information:

For the second consecutive season, Florida State punter Alex Mastromanno is one of 10 semifinalists for the Ray Guy Award, presented annually to the nation’s top punter.

Mastromanno, from Melbourne, Australia, leads the country with his average of 48.9 yards per punt, more than one yard better than the second-best average nationally. The redshirt senior has punted 48 times for 2,347 yards, with 26 punts traveling over 50 yards, 16 punts downed inside the 20-yard line and just one touchback.

Mastromanno’s 26 50-yard punts are the most in the country, seven more than the next closest punter and 15 more than the next closest punter with one or fewer touchbacks.

Mastromanno was the Ray Guy Award Punter of the Week against Boston College when he averaged 52.2 yards on six punts, including a season-long 65-yard punt. He is a four-time Ray’s 8 winner this year, given to the top punters in the country each week.

For his career, Mastromanno is Florida State’s all-time leader in punts (245), punt yards (10,941) and average per punt (44.66).

Last season, Mastromanno became Florida State’s first finalist for the Ray Guy Award. The Ray Guy Award will announce three finalists on November 26 and the winner will be named at the Home Depot College Football Awards on December 12.

For the seventh straight year, the Florida State soccer team is a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The Seminoles' (14-2-3) season-ending eight-game winning streak helped catapult them to a path to the College Cup which will see them host as many as four home games if they keep winning. The first of those games is set for Friday at 5 p.m. (ESPN+) vs. Southern Conference champions Samford.

FSU is 60-2 all-time in home postseason games.

We're aren't able to be there in person for tonight's games. However, you can follow along with live stats and I will post updates remotely and write up a game story when the match has finished.

The FSU soccer team ran away with a dominating 8-0 win over Samford to open its NCAA Tournament run tonight.

As we reported last week, three-star OL commit Daniel Pierre Louis will be taking a visit to Florida. This is confirmed to be an official visit. But now there are reports that Solomon Thomas will be there as well. He is expected to be there but it's a bit of a mixed bag from those closer to UF on whether or not he will actually show up. We'll update you when we can on if he shows up in Gainesville.

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Florida State Athletic Director Michael Alford and Seminole Booster President Stephen Ponder organized a Town Hall Virtual Meeting where they talked about all things Seminole football. Curt Weiler reported on what Alford had to say about Mike Norvell and the process the two Mikes engaged before making changes on the coaching staff last week. In this article I take a deep dive into their discussion of revenue generation and specifically on the two aspect of the budget the athletic department and Seminole fans can control, season ticket sales and Seminole Booster contributions.

In this article we explain the west side seating prices, confronting some of the misinformation about the chairback seat prices and give a report on the project which has now sold out of west side club seats and has sold the first 1230 of 8000 chairback seats.

Maximizing the controllable revenue

Looking at strictly measurables. . .height, weight, strength, speed, etc. Do we have a starting 5 and two backups on our roster at this moment who are currently or could be physically ready to play at this level for next season?

I see a lot of missed assignments, complete whiffs, getting out of stances late, things that I feel can be correctable in a short period of time, but do we have the tools to work with? Will the younger ones on the roster be ready to step in for next season? I know we will have to hit the portal pretty heavily, but how many to we currently have on this roster with the potential to play at a high level soon?

FSU’s defense is 101st in the FBS in scoring (29.8). The Seminoles have struggled in particular against the run (115th at 192.4 yards), while faring relatively better vs. the pass (53rd at 206.4 yards).

Shannon has a bye week to motivate and focus on the fundamentals to improve the defense ahead of a pair of home games, against Charleston Southern and then Florida. While it's fair to expect FSU's defense to play its base 4-2-5 and not show much of its hand against an FCS team, Shannon and FSU's coaches could offer some new schematic changes for the matchup against the Gators.

"Having a bye week gives us a little bit of time," FSU coach Mike Norvell said. "I want Randy to go run the defense, and I want him to be able to put his emphasis to it, for our guys to be able to go out there and play fast, play confident, to be free in playing within the calls of what we need to do.

"Will it look a little bit different? Yes, there will be some differences. There will be some things that probably mirror. We're 10 games into a season so it's going to be probably a healthy mix."

As most of you that follow recruiting closely know one of the other recruiting services predicted that FSU 2025 QB commit Tramell Jones will flip to Florida between now and Early National Signing Day. I have spoken to two people familiar with Jones' recruitment since that prediction was made.

One thinks that this could happen as early as this weekend. However, I am taking that with a grain of salt because he has a rooting interest in where Tramell end up in January. I spoke with another source who doesn't have a dog in this fight, and he felt less certain that a flip was imminent. His understanding was that Florida has indeed continued to pursue Jones aggressively but that no decision had been made yet. It was also his understanding that Jones and his family are keeping a close eye on what changes FSU head coach Mike Norvell makes to his coaching staff and that would play a factor into how this will all play out. He thinks that Tramell and his family will make a decision based on who he is coached by at FSU (he as a very strong relationship with QB coach Tony Tokarz) and Jones will not make a decision one way or the other until then. What my second source did not know was if the decision was being made off strictly who was coaching quarterbacks or the offensive staff as a whole. His read was that this will not play out this weekend and he still likes FSU's chances of keeping Jones.

FSU sports information:

The RV Florida State women's basketball team (3-1) celebrated Seminole Heritage on Thursday night, defeating Samford (0-4) at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center, 101-68.

Makayla Timpson fueled the Seminoles with 38 points and 15 rebounds, contributing her third double-double of the season and 34th of her career. Her 38 points were the most for a Power 4 player this season and second-highest total in the nation.

Timpson added career highs in points and field goals made (15), as both tied the third-best performance in program history. Her 38 points were two shy of tying the record set by Natasha Howard at 40 against Syracuse on Feb. 13, 2014.

“I’m really proud of this win tonight,” FSU head coach Brooke Wyckoff said. “I’m proud of these senior warriors. They stepped up to the challenge tonight, with us having a shortened roster and really took the team on their back.”

With Ta’Niya Latson not in the lineup due to illness, Carla Viegas, Sydney Bowles and O’Mariah Gordon also stepped up and scored in double figures.

Viegas led in three pointers, sinking five, which tied her career high. She also tied her career high in points at 17. Bowles added 17 points and managed seven rebounds, the second most for the game behind Timpson.

In her 99th game as a Seminole, Gordon earned 15 points in her 30 minutes of playing time. She recorded five assists, bringing her total to 15 in just four games.

The Noles started the first period strong by jumping ahead 14-5 early, holding Samford to only 35 percent in scoring. FSU ended the first with a 33-15, as Timpson contributed 18.

During the second, FSU was perfect in free throw attempts, going 6-of-6 and stretching the lead, 55-31.

In the third the Seminoles tacked on 20 more points, ending the period 75-53.

Florida State hit the century mark for the second time this season, winning by a score of 101-68. The Seminoles grabbed 41 rebounds and went 11-of-30 from the three-point line.

The Seminoles will take on North Carolina Central on Monday, Nov.18 at 6:00 p.m. on ACC Network Extra.

FSU sports information:

The Florida State women’s basketball team will host Samford at the Donald L. Tucker Center on Thursday at 6 p.m.

The Seminoles (2-1), welcome the Bulldogs (0-3) for the first time since the 2019-20 season. FSU is 5-0 against Samford in the series history, and this will be the first meeting under head coach Brooke Wyckoff between the two teams.

The contest will honor the Seminole Heritage. The team will wear turquoise shirts in pregame warmups. The color represents harmony, friendship and fellowship throughout Native American communities and is used in tribute to Florida State University's special friendship with the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

The game will air on the ACC Network Extra and the broadcast of the Seminole Sport Network can be found on 96.5 The Spear, Seminoles.com and Sirius XM channel 161 or 194.

The Last Time Out

The Seminoles defeated Florida A&M on Monday at home, 93-54 to start the four-game home stand.

Five Seminoles scored in double figures for the second time this season, led by Ta’Niya Latson. She led all scorers for the third time in as many games, contributing 21 points. O’Mariah Gordon scored a season-high 19 and tallied her career high in steals at six.

Carla Viegas shot 4-of-7 from the three-point line, contributing 12 points and Sydney Bowles and Malea Willams each had 10.

I am far from an expert on basketball. Did grow up a fan of UNLV and the running rebels. The last time I saw a team this good early in the season was Kentucky with Anthony Davis. It's early but this Duke team has the ability to win it all.

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Do you think we get our coordinators before signing day?

FSU sports information:

The Florida State beach volleyball team signed three new members in the class of 2025 on Wednesday. Head coach Brooke Niles signed Lennox Langham, Zoe Balvia, and Elena Lam. “So excited for this class,” Niles said. “They are from all different parts of the country which speaks to how much beach volleyball has grown. Excited to officially make them Noles!”

Langham, a Knoxville, Tenn., native, began playing volleyball when she was 11 years old. She made the transition from indoor volleyball to beach in 2020 when she realized her abilities in the sand would allow her to play at the next level. Since focusing on beach volleyball, she has been a recurring member of P1440’s Fab50 with whom she frequently tours and was named Knox News’ 2023 Volleyball Player of the Year.

Head coach Brooke Niles: “Lennox is a super scrappy, athletic defender. She is so fun to watch compete because she is high flying and a fierce competitor.”

Balvia is from St. Louis, Missouri, where she attended St. Joseph’s Academy. She spent four years on the varsity indoor volleyball team where she played outside hitter. The 6-1 athlete racked up 779 kills, 61 aces, 101 blocks, and 328 digs in 248 sets. In April, Balvia won the bronze medal in the class of ‘24/’25 gold bracket at the P1440 Future Tours Stop in San Antonio, Texas.

Head coach Brooke Niles: “Zoe is a dynamic blocker that has successfully transitioned from indoor to a beach-only athlete. Her athleticism and work ethic are going to be an amazing addition to our team!”

Lam was a three-sport athlete for South Plantation High School in Plantation, Florida, playing beach volleyball, indoor volleyball, and basketball. She played varsity volleyball for four years where she accumulated 1,077 kills, 204 aces, 5 blocks, and 1,129 digs in 269 sets. On the sand, she tallied 88 kills, 32 aces, and 78 digs in just 19 sets.

Head coach Brooke Niles: “Elena has an elite level of ball control and court vision that will add to the depth of our roster. She is an extremely hard worker and has a tremendous ability to make her teammates better.”

FSU sports information:

The No. 22 Florida State volleyball team (18-6, 10-4) hits the road to face two top 10 teams as they will face the No. 1 Pitt Panthers (23-1, 13-1) on Friday evening at 5 p.m. before traveling to Dallas to take on SMU (19-6, 11-3) at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Both matches can be seen live on ACCNX.

Noles Hope to Take Advantage of Huge Opportunities on the Road

• The Noles are hoping to write some history this weekend against two of the top teams in the country in No. 1 Pitt and No. 10 SMU.
• A win over Pitt would be the Seminoles’ first-ever win over a top-ranked team. Friday will be just the fourth time FSU has played the No. 1 team in the country. FSU played No. 1 BYU on Nov. 29, 1986, where they lost in five sets. The Noles have played the Florida Gators twice when Florida was the No. 1 team in the country, once in 1996 and once in 2010.
• A win over either Pitt or SMU would be just the Noles’ third win over a top 10 opponent on the road. The Noles last accomplished that feat in 2014 at No. 7 Nebraska.
• A win this weekend would mark FSU’s fourth win over a ranked opponent this season which would be the most by a FSU team since 2014.

Koenig Has Historic Match Against Wake Forest

• Audrey Koenig had one of the best individual performances you’ll ever see on Nov. 8 against Wake Forest.
• Koenig recorded 20 kills in three sets which was her career high in a three-set match. Koenig is one of three players in the ACC this season to record 20 kills in a three-set match.
• More impressively, Koenig recorded eight service aces against the Demon Deacons which was the second-most in FSU history. Her eight aces are the second-most by anyone in the country for a three-set match.

Louis Reaches 1,000 kills

• Khori Louis reached 1,000 kills on Nov. 8 against Wake Forest.
• Louis became just the seventh Nole to reach 1,000 career kills in the rally scoring era.
• Louis is just the second middle blocker in program history to reach 1,000 kills in the rally scoring era. Brianna Barry was the other middle blocker to reach 1,000 career kills.

Noles Started on the Right Foot in ACC Play....Again

• FSU has consistently started off ACC play in the win column in the last decade.
• Excluding the 2021 spring season where there were no non-conference matches, FSU has won its last 10 ACC openers.
• FSU has started 2-0 in the ACC in eight out of the last 10 seasons.
• FSU has never finished worse than 5th in the ACC under Head Coach Chris Poole.

Not Slowing Down on Offense

• FSU has proven to be one of the top offenses in the ACC and the country so far this season.
• As a team, FSU ranks 20th in the country and third in the ACC with a .275 hitting percentage and also ranks 49th in the country and fourth in the ACC with 13.49 kills per set.
• The Seminoles have been spreading the wealth as they have three players who have recorded 200 or more kills this season and five players who have recorded 100 or more kills this season.

Climbing the Ranks

• FSU was ranked No. 22 in this week’s AVCA/TARAFLEX Coaches Poll. The Noles were ranked 15th in week one which was the program’s highest ranking since 2017.
• FSU has been ranked in the AVCA Coaches Poll for 14 consecutive weeks which is the program’s longest streak since when the Seminoles were ranked in every poll from Aug. 30, 2011, to Sept. 17, 2017.
• FSU opened the season ranked 20th in the preseason poll. It was the first time FSU was ranked to start the season since 2017.
• FSU picked up a ranked win against No. 25 Georgia. It was FSU’s 41st ranked win in program history and was the first time FSU beat a ranked non conference opponent since defeating No. 14 Florida in 2021.
• FSU has picked up three ranked wins this season already with wins over No. 25 Georgia and No. 25 Miami. This is the first time since 2014 that FSU has had multiple ranked wins before Oct. 1.

Koenig Saving Her Best Season for Last

• The reigning 2023 ACC Co-Player of the Year Audrey Koenig is back for one last season with the Seminoles and will look to solidify herself as one of the top players in FSU history.
• Koenig was just the fourth Seminole to win the ACC Player of the Year award and was the first Nole to accomplish the feat since Payton Caffrey in 2018.
• Koenig leads the team with 322 kills and 41 aces in 23 matches and is third on the team with 201 digs.
• Koenig’s 41 aces are already the most by any Seminole since Mira Djuric in 2009.
• Koenig has tallied 211 kills in ACC play which is second in the conference. Koenig’s serve has also come on strong in ACC play as she has recorded 31 aces in ACC play which is third in the ACC.
• Koenig has recorded 10 or more kills in her last 21 matches which is the longest streak of her career and the longest streak by any FSU volleyball player since Luiza Ramos in 1994.
• Koenig was named the ACC Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 30 after tallying 36 kills in two wins over Miami and on Nov. 11 for tallying 31 kills and 11 aces against Wake Forest and NC State.
• Koenig also earned 2023 AVCA All-America Honorable Mention honors for the first time in her career.
• Koenig’s 13 double-doubles last season were the 13th-most in FSU history. Koenig is up to seven double doubles this season.
• Koenig has recorded 1,279 kills during her career with the Garnet and Gold. Koenig became just the sixth player in FSU history to surpass 1,000 career kills in the rally scoring era. Her 1,279 kills is the second-best mark in school history in the rally scoring era.

Louis Continuing to Stay Hot for the Noles

• FSU senior and Tallahassee native Khori Louis put together her best season as a Seminole in 2023 as she earned First Team All-ACC honors and AVCA All-America Honorable Mention for the first time in her career.
• Louis hit a career-high .432 in 2023 which ranked fourth in the nation and was the fifth-best mark in school history and the best mark since Sareea Freeman in 2012.
• Louis has picked up right where she left off as she is hitting .413 with 256 kills which is second to Koenig’s 322 kills. Louis also leads the team with 102 blocks which is tied for the most in a single season in her four years at FSU.
• Louis’s .413 hitting percentage ranks 15th in the entire country and is first in the ACC.
• Louis holds a career hitting percentage of .377 which is currently the best mark in FSU history. The previous record is .371 which is held by Brianna Barry.
• Louis was second on the team with 271 kills and 93 blocks in 2023.
• In her career, Louis has recorded 1,013 kills which is 7th in program history in the rally scoring era.
• Louis also ranks top 15 in program history in the rally scoring era in solo blocks, assisted blocks and total blocks.

Taylor Head Heating Up for the Noles

• The Seminoles made one of the biggest transfer moves in college volleyball last season as they picked up transfer Taylor Head from Arkansas.
• Head was one of the best hitters not only in the SEC but the entire country last season as she picked up AVCA Third Team All-America honors after recording 494 kills with a .231 hitting percentage for a Razorback team that qualified for the Elite Eight.
• Head leads the team with 259 digs and is third on the team with 30 kills.
• Head has played very well in her last 10 matches as she has recorded six double doubles in her last 10 matches.
• In her career, Head has recorded 1,767 kills which is the 10th-most among active Division I players.
• Head was one of the best all-around players in the country last season as she was third in the entire nation with 22 double-doubles.
• Head ranked in the top 10 in the SEC in total kills, kills per set, total attacks, attacks per set, double-doubles, points and total digs.
• Last season, Head would’ve led the ACC in total kills, points, double doubles and total attacks. Head also would’ve ranked in the top five in kills per set, attacks per set and points per set.
• Head spent her spring with the Florida State beach volleyball team where she finished the season with a 8-2 record.

Dupes is Back and Making an Impact

• After a knee injury kept her off the court in 2023, libero Emery Dupes is ready to become a force for the Seminoles’ defense once again.
• Dupes has played in 88 out of the 89 sets this season with 108 digs.
• Prior to injury, Dupes led the team with 287 digs in 2022 while playing in 94 sets.
• As a freshman, Dupes earned All-ACC honors and became the first freshman libero in FSU history to earn All-ACC honors.
• Broke the school freshman record with 3.88 digs per set and was also just the 12th player in FSU history to record over 400 digs.
• Dupes has also been terrific behind the service line recording 56 aces in three seasons. In 2021, Dupes recorded six service aces in a single match which is tied for the third-most ever by a Seminole in a single match.

Perry Becoming a Force in the Middle for the Noles

• After redshirting at Iowa State last season, Perry has become a force in the middle for the Seminoles.
• Perry is currently second on the team with 87 blocks and 1.09 blocks per set.
• Perry had a season-high five kills in the win at Boston College on Oct. 18.
• Perry had seven total blocks against No. 25 Georgia which was just one block off her career high.
• Perry also has recorded 50 kills on 124 attempts.

Filimaua: A True Swiss Army Knife

• Kyleene Filimaua is a true do-it-all for Florida State volleyball.
• Filimaua has played in 86 out of the 89 sets for the Noles and has played all over the court including starting at libero in eight matches this season.
• Filimaua has recorded 112 kills this season and has recorded five double-digit kill matches after recording just one double-digit kill match last year.
• To go along with her 112 kills this season, Filimaua has also recorded 214 digs, 58 assists, 20 aces and 121 blocks.

Phelan Becoming a Force on the Service Line and on Defense

• Kenna Phelan has shown off her nasty serve this season, and it became a game-changer for FSU.
• In 10 sets on opening weekend, Phelan recorded 10 aces from the service line. Her 10 aces were the eighth-most in the entire country on opening weekend.
• Phelan has recorded 28 service aces in 24 matches so far this season.
• Phelan recorded 19 digs against Auburn and 15 digs against North Florida. It was the first time in her career that Phelan has had back-to-back matches with 10 or more digs.
• Phelan has also been great as a setter in FSU’s 6-2 system as she has recorded 432 assists.

Henke Off to Strong Start for the Garnet and Gold

• After missing opening weekend, Iane Henke has come right in and been a very valuable asset for the Seminoles.
• In her debut, Henke tallied 10 kills and six blocks against Cal Poly.
• Henke recorded a season-high 11 kills at Boston College on Oct. 18.
• In total, Henke has had 119 kills, 50 digs, 61 blocks and five aces in 22 matches for the Noles.

Noles Going Through Gauntlet of a Schedule

• The Seminoles will get tested early and often in the 2024 season.
• In 10 non conference games, four of those games came against teams that made the 2023 NCAA Tournament.
• Nine out of the 10 teams that FSU played in the non conference had a winning record in 2023.
• Four out of the Noles’ final six matches will be against teams in the top 15 as they will play No. 1 Pitt, two games against No. 10 SMU and No. 15 Georgia Tech.
• FSU has already played No, 4 Louisville, No. 6 Stanford, No. 22 Florida and No. 25 North Carolina.

Thanks to an active eight-match winning streak, FSU soccer's entire path to the College Cup goes through home matches for the seventh straight year.

That is a comfort for an FSU program that is 60-2 in home postseason matches all-time.

FSU sports information:

The No.24/NV Florida State Cross Country teams will host the NCAA South Region Championship on Friday at Apalachee Regional Park, marking the first time since 2019.

The women's 6k will start at 8:30 a.m., followed by the men's 10k at 9:30 a.m. The top two teams will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA championships that will be held in Madison, Wisconsin on Nov 23.

The race will air on ESPN+ and live timing will be available.

“We’re incredibly excited to compete on our home course for the south regional championships, our national qualifying meet,” said FSU head coach Cody Halsey. “After all the hard work these women have put in, they’ve established as one of the top teams in the region. This race is our opportunity to showcase our preparation and unity as well as demonstrate the strength of what it means to work together and trust each other.”

The women’s team collected two wins during the regular season, including Three ACC Performer of the Week honors. Agnes McTighe won her second ALL-ACC honor after leading the Noles in the 6k, crossing the line in ninth with a career best of 19:48.0. Bieke Schipperen captured ALL-ACC honors for the first time in her career, placing 16th with a time of 20:02.5.

“It means work together and trust each other when it matters the most, “added Halsey. “It’s incredible to compete at home with the support of so many. The course will be electric. We’re really looking forward to Friday.”

Four teams in the women’s race are ranked in the USTFCCCA top 30, including No.24 FSU. The ACC currently fields the most ranked team of any conference in the nation. The Seminoles received votes in the week four poll after climbing to No.13 following a ninth-place finish at the Wisconsin Pre-National meet.

The men’s team is led by Joe Farley, who placed 25th at the ACC Championships in the 8k at 23:06.09.

“I’m so grateful for our team to have the opportunity to compete at Apalachee Regional Park this Friday for the NCAA South Regional Championships,” said assistant coach Ian Frazier. “We’ve done a lot of specific work at various points of the course in preparation for this meet, so the guy's confidence out here should be an all-time high. More than that though is we get the benefit of having the entire FSU and Tallahassee community here to watch us compete.”

Lucas Bouquot has played a role in the men’s team success, after leading FSU to its second team victory of the regular season at the FSU XC Invitational on October 11, finishing sixth with a career best of 24:30.0. He competed at the ACC Championships in the 8k, placing 87th with a career best of 24:03.2.

"The energy will be electric,” add Frazier “The environment will be like no other they’ve experienced out here. Now the task is to be resilient from 1k to 10k, trust themselves and their six other teammates and make the tough decision on the course that will give us a shot at qualifying for the NCAA Championships.”

Looks like softball nsd is today and Lonni is killing it

The winter window for the NCAA transfer portal in football hasn't opened yet but there are already players announcing that they intend to enter the portal today. On this thread we will try to identify players entering the portal that FSU may have interest in, the player may have interest in or both parties share a mutual interest.

After the news of Tramell Jones decommiting from Florida State earlier this morning, Pat, Fish and myself have all put Rivals FutureCasts in for four-star Fort Myers (Fla.) Bishop Verot QB Carter Smith to wind up at Florida State. Smith has an official visit scheduled to Wisconsin this weekend, but we are anticipating that Florida State gets Smith on campus for one of it's two final home games - most likely the Florida game on November 30th.

Things have heated up massively between Smith and Florida State in the past few days and Tramell's decision to decommit is a strong indication that Smith is in play.

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On Thursday's edition of the Osceola's Seminole Sidellines, Patrick Burnham, Charles Fishbein and Nick Carlisle give their early thoughts on Tramell Jones and his decommitment from Florida State. But the page quickly turns to four-star QB Carter Smith, who is weighing his decision and is considering FSU and Wisconsin. All three of the guys have put in FutureCast for Florida State to land Smith and explain why.

Smith's personal QB coach, Ken Mastrole, joins the show to give Osceola subscribers some insight on the dual-threat signal caller.

The guys also offer their opinions on whether or not FSU should delve into the NCAA transfer portal this offseason and discuss whether Boston College QB Thomas Castellanos, who has made his intentions to enter the portal in December already known would be a good fit for the Seminoles.

Thanks to Seminole Sidelines' sponsors: Alumni Hall and Mowrey Law Firm.

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Of all Mike Norvell's decisions to make this offseason, his next defensive coordinator hire ranks amongst the most important.

Here's the Osceola staff's initial defensive coordinator hot board with some names to keep an eye on, what they bring to the table and potential reasons why they not end up being the choice.

A bunch of teams with a bye this week

Saturday, Nov. 16, Noon ET
#20 Clemson at Pitt
Series: Pitt leads series, 3-2
Last meeting: Pitt, 27-17 (2021)
ESPN: Sean McDonough (play-by-play), Greg McElroy (analyst), Molly McGrath (sideline)
SiriusXM Radio: SiriusXM 81 / SiriusXM 138 / SiriusXM 193
SiriusXM App: SiriusXM 81 / SiriusXM 955

Saturday, Nov. 16, 3 p.m. ET
Syracuse at California
Series: Series tied, 1-1
Last meeting: California, 43-0 (1968)
The CW: Thom Brennaman (play-by-play), Max Browne (analyst), Treavor Scales (sideline)
SiriusXM Radio: SiriusXM 388 / SiriusXM 389
SiriusXM App: SiriusXM 978 / SiriusXM 979

Saturday, Nov. 16, 3:30 p.m. ET
Boston College at #14 SMU
Series: Series tied, 1-1
Last meeting: Boston College, 23-14 (2023 Wasabi Fenway Bowl)
ESPN: Bob Wischusen (play-by-play), Louis Riddick (analyst), Kris Budden (sideline)
SiriusXM Radio: SiriusXM 138 / SiriusXM 193 / SiriusXM 380
SiriusXM App: SiriusXM 955 / SiriusXM 970

Saturday, Nov. 16, 3:30 p.m. ET
Virginia at #8 Notre Dame
Series: Notre Dame leads series, 4-0
Last meeting: Notre Dame, 28-3 (2021)
NBC: Dan Hicks (play-by-play), Jason Garrett (analyst), Zora Stephenson (sideline)
SiriusXM Radio: SiriusXM 85 / SiriusXM 129 / SiriusXM 381
SiriusXM App: SiriusXM 85 / SiriusXM 129 / SiriusXM 971

Saturday, Nov. 16, 3:30 p.m. ET
#19 Louisville at Stanford
Series: First-ever meeting
Last meeting: N/A
ACCN: Jorge Sedano (play-by-play), Orlando Franklin (analyst), Morgan Uber (sideline)
SiriusXM Radio: SiriusXM 158 / SiriusXM 194 / SiriusXM 371
SiriusXM App: SiriusXM 371 / SiriusXM 956

Saturday, Nov. 16, 8 p.m. ET
Wake Forest at North Carolina
Series: North Carolina leads series, 72-36-2
Last meeting: North Carolina, 36-34 (2022)
ACCN: Wes Durham (play-by-play), Tom Luginbill (analyst), Dana Boyle (sideline)
SiriusXM Radio: SiriusXM 138 / SiriusXM 193 / SiriusXM 371
SiriusXM App: SiriusXM 371 / SiriusXM 955