FSU sports information:
The Florida State volleyball team (21-9, 13-7) begins its postseason on Thursday evening against the Ole Miss Rebels (17-11, 7-9) at D.J. Sokol Arena in Omaha, Nebraska, on the campus of Creighton University. First serve is set for 5:30 p.m. eastern and can be seen live on ESPN+. Jon Schriner (Play by Play). Shannon Smolinski (Color) and Ana Bellinghausen (Sideline) will be on the call. If the Noles win, they will move on to the second round where they will face the winner of second-seeded Creighton (29-2, 18-0) and South Dakota (21-9, 10-6) on Friday night at 8 p.m. also on ESPN+.
Noles Return to NCAA Tournament for 26th Time
History Lesson
Koenig and Louis Named to All-ACC First Team
Louis and Head Vibing in the PVF
Noles Pick Up Signature Win over Georgia Tech
Noles Reach 20 Win Mark Again
Koenig Has Historic Match Against Wake Forest
Louis Reaches 1,000 kills
Not Slowing Down on Offense
Climbing the Ranks
Koenig Saving Her Best Season for Last
Louis Continuing to Stay Hot for the Noles
Taylor Head Heating Up for the Noles
Dupes is Back and Making an Impact
Perry Becoming a Force in the Middle for the Noles
Filimaua: A True Swiss Army Knife
Phelan Becoming a Force on the Service Line and On Defense
Henke Off to Strong Start for the Garnet and Gold
The Florida State volleyball team (21-9, 13-7) begins its postseason on Thursday evening against the Ole Miss Rebels (17-11, 7-9) at D.J. Sokol Arena in Omaha, Nebraska, on the campus of Creighton University. First serve is set for 5:30 p.m. eastern and can be seen live on ESPN+. Jon Schriner (Play by Play). Shannon Smolinski (Color) and Ana Bellinghausen (Sideline) will be on the call. If the Noles win, they will move on to the second round where they will face the winner of second-seeded Creighton (29-2, 18-0) and South Dakota (21-9, 10-6) on Friday night at 8 p.m. also on ESPN+.
Noles Return to NCAA Tournament for 26th Time
- FSU has been a consistent figure in the NCAA Tournament under Head Coach Chris Poole, and this year is no different.
- The Noles have been to the NCAA Tournament in the last four seasons and in 15 out of the 17 seasons that Chris Poole has been in Tallahassee.
- FSU will be looking for its first NCAA Tournament win since 2021 when they beat Kansas State in Lincoln, Neb.
- This is just the second time the Noles have played an NCAA Tournament match in Nebraska. FSU played in Lincoln in 2021. FSU has been to Omaha once before as they faced Nebraska-Omaha and Creighton at Baxter Arena on Sept. 8-9, 2022.
History Lesson
- The Noles and Rebels have not met in over 40 years as the teams have not met since 1981. FSU leads the all-time series 4-3.
- Florida State and Creighton have met just once before in 2022. Creighton prevailed in five sets to defeat FSU. Audrey Koenig, Khori Louis and Emery Dupes all played in the 2022 match against the Bluejays while Creighton has six players on the current roster who played in the 2022 match. Koenig led the Noles with 17 kills while Dupes posted a career high 31 digs in that match.
- FSU has never played South Dakota.
Koenig and Louis Named to All-ACC First Team
- Audrey Koenig and Khori Louis were named the All-ACC First Team for the second consecutive season on Monday evening.
- Koenig and Louis are the first duo to earn back-to-back First Team All-ACC honors since Payton Caffrey and Taryn Knuth in 2018 and 2019.
- This will be the 33rd and 34th time a Seminole has earned First Team All-ACC honors.
- FSU joined Louisville, Pitt, Stanford and SMU as the only ACC teams to put multiple players on All-ACC First Team.
Louis and Head Vibing in the PVF
- Khori Louis and Taylor Head were each selected to the Atlanta Vibe in the Pro Volleyball Federation on Nov. 25.
- Louis was selected sixth overall by the Vibe and was the first middle blocker off the board. Louis was the second ACC player to be drafted.
- Head was selected as the fifth pick in the third round and the 21st pick overall.
Noles Pick Up Signature Win over Georgia Tech
- The Noles picked up its signature win for the 2024 season last Friday night as they defeated No. 15 Georgia Tech.
- The win snapped an eight-match losing streak to the Yellow Jackets in the five-set thriller.
- It was FSU’s highest ranked win of the season after going 0-5 against top 15 teams before the match.
Noles Reach 20 Win Mark Again
- With back-to-back wins last weekend, FSU eclipsed the 20-win mark for the 12th time under Head Coach Chris Poole.
- This is the first time FSU has had back-to-back 20 win seasons since 2015-16.
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 four 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.
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 19th in the country and third in the ACC with a .277 hitting percentage.
- The Seminoles have been spreading the wealth as they have three players who have recorded 300 or more kills this season and five players who have recorded 100 or more kills this season.
Climbing the Ranks
- FSU was ranked No. 21 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 17 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 four ranked wins this season already with wins over No. 15 Georgia Tech, No. 25 Georgia and No. 25 Miami which is the program’s most ranked wins since 2014.
Koenig Saving Her Best Season for Last
- Audrey Koenig has saved her best season for her last season as the four-year starter is having her best season as a Seminole.
- Last season, 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 393 kills and 49 aces in 29 matches and is third on the team with 245 digs.
- Koenig’s 49 aces are the most by any Seminole since Mira Djuric in 2009.
- Koenig tallied 282 kills in ACC play which is fourth in the conference. Koenig’s serve has also come on strong in ACC play as she has recorded 39 aces in ACC play which is tied for second in the ACC.
- Koenig recorded 10 or more kills in 25 matches from Sept. 1 to Nov. 24 which was the longest streak by any FSU player in the rally scoring era.
- Koenig was named to the All-ACC First team for the second time in her career on Monday.
- 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 eight double doubles this season.
- Koenig has recorded 1,350 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 1,350 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 .427 with 328 kills which is second to Koenig’s 393 kills. Louis also leads the team with 128 blocks which is the most she has ever had in four seasons as a Seminole.
- Louis’s .427 hitting percentage leads the ACC and ranks 11th in the entire country.
- Louis earned her first-ever ACC Offensive Player of the Week award last week as she recorded 35 kills in two matches against Clemson and Georgia Tech while hitting .607.
- Louis was also named the AVCA/GameChanger National Player of the Week on Nov. 26. Louis joined Taryn Knuth as the only two Seminoles in program history to win the AVCA National Player of the Week award.
- Louis holds a career hitting percentage of .383 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 1,085 kills which is 6th 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 322 digs and is third on the team with 301 kills.
- Head has played very well in her last 16 matches as she has recorded nine double doubles in her last 16 matches. Head has also recorded double digit kills in her last five matches.
- In her career, Head has recorded 1,812 kills which is the 12th-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 111 out of the 112 sets this season with 138 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 57 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 107 blocks and 1.10 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 58 kills on 139 attempts.
Filimaua: A True Swiss Army Knife
- Kyleene Filimaua is a true do-it-all for Florida State volleyball.
- Filimaua has played in 109 out of the 112 sets for the Noles and has played all over the court including starting at libero in eight matches this season.
- Filimaua has recorded 164 kills this season and has recorded seven double-digit kill matches after recording just one double-digit kill match last year.
- To go along with her 146 kills this season, Filimaua has also recorded 257 digs, 64 assists, 25 aces and 28 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 30 service aces in 30 matches so far this season.
- Phelan had a career weekend as she broke her career high with 30 assists against Georgia Tech then broke it again with 33 assists against Clemson.
- Phelan has recorded 30 or more assists in three out of her last four matches.
- 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 575 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 138 kills, 55 digs, 74 blocks and five aces in 28 matches for the Noles.