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FSU volleyball travels to NC State, UNC

Bob Ferrante

Ultimate Seminole Insider
Staff
May 10, 2022
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Via Florida State sports information:

The Florida State volleyball team (9-4, 1-1) continues ACC play with two road matches this weekend against NC State (7-6, 1-1) and North Carolina (9-4, 1-1). Friday’s match against the Wolfpack will begin at 7 p.m. with Sunday’s match slated to start at 1 p.m. Both matches can be seen live on ACCNX.

Series History

The Noles have dominated the all-time series against NC State with a 50-7 record against the Wolfpack. The Noles have lost to NC State just twice in the last 37 meetings. Against the Tar Heels, the Noles hold a 45-25 record against UNC but are just 10-17 in Chapel Hill compared to the Noles’ 30-7 record against the Tar Heels when the match is played in Tallahassee.

New Blood
The Noles have added three new key pieces to the 2022 squad. Freshman Audrey Rothman, senior Andjelija Draskovic and graduate student Emily Ryan have all had immediate impacts for the Noles.

The 2021 USA Today Girls Volleyball Player of the Year has been as good as advertised. Rothman has tallied 79 kills and also leads the team in digs with 86 and has nine aces this season as well.

The setter and middle duo of Draskovic and Ryan has been phenomenal for the Noles this season. Draskovic, a transfer from UMBC, has a team-high 291 assists, and Ryan is second on the team in kills with 110 and leads the team in blocks with 47.

Spreading the Wealth
The Noles have several athletes who are factors at the net. The Noles have five athletes with more than 75 kills through 13 matches this season. FSU is the only team in the conference to accomplish this feat.

The Best Birthday Present
Senior setter Andjelija Draskovic made history on her 22nd birthday in the Garnet and Gold. On Sept. 8 against Nebraska-Omaha, Draskovic reached 1,000 career assists at the Division I level. Draskovic tallied 846 assists last season at UMBC and currently has 291 assists in 11 matches. this season. Draskovic became the 20th Seminole setter to tally 1,000 career assists. Draskovic is 446 assists from cracking the top 15 list for total career assists in program history.

Serving Up Aces
Sophomore Audrey Koenig has been a great surprise for the Noles behind the service line this season. A 2021 ACC All-Freshman Team selection, Koenig leads the team in aces with 18 and is averaging 0.40 aces per set which ranks 10th in the ACC. This comes after Koenig rarely served last year for the Seminoles and did not record a single ace during the 2021 season.

Starting Quick
The Noles have gotten off to great starts in the majority of their matches this season. The Noles have been the first team to 15 in 26 out their 45 sets this season. The Noles are 20-6 in sets where they are the first team to reach 15 points.

Scouting the Wolfpack
The NC State Wolfpack enters Friday’s match with the Seminoles with a 7-6 record under third-year Head Coach Luka Slabe. The Wolfpack split its opening two games in ACC play last weekend with a five-set win over Virginia and a four-set loss against No. 10 Pitt.

The Wolfpack are led by freshman Ava Brizard. The 6-1 outside hitter has tallied 145 kills and is averaging 3.53 kills per set which ranks sixth in the ACC. On the defensive side, graduate student Priscilla Hernandez leads the team in digs for a squad that ranks second in the ACC with 719 digs. Hernandez, a Second-Team All-ACC performer at Miami in 2021, has tallied 201 digs for the Wolfpack and has added 14 aces including a four-ace performance against No. 10 Pitt.

Scouting the Tar Heels
The North Carolina Tar Heels come into Sunday’s matchup with the Seminoles 9-4 and 1-1 in ACC play. The Tar Heels dropped its opening conference match against No. 10 Pitt but bounced back with a five-set victory over Virginia. The Tar Heels lost four key starters from last year’s team that finished 21-9 and made the program’s first NCAA appearance since 2016.

One of the key contributors from the 2021 season was ACC Freshman of the Year Mabrey Sheffmaster. The 6-1 outside hitter has picked up right where she left off with a team-high 162 kills this season. Her 3.77 kills per set ranks fifth in the conference. Her teammate, Charley Niego, ranks eighth in the conference with 3.43 kills per set.
 
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