Florida State volleyball shut out the University of Notre Dame 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-16) on Sunday, Oct. 25, at Tully Gymnasium, bouncing back two days after falling to No. 3 University of Louisville. The win moves the Seminoles to 11-9 overall and 5-4 in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), and marks FSU’s fourth sweep in its last six home matches.
The ’Noles held Notre Dame to a .092 hitting percentage while out-blocking the Fighting Irish 9-3. The Garnet and Gold also held a 5-0 advantage in service aces.
“I think this team has done a great job adjusting to adversity and I think we’re doing a great job and we want to keep going,” sophomore outside hitter Payton Whalen said in the postgame broadcast. “We want to make a long run. So I think as a team we are doing amazing.”
Florida State takes the early lead
The opening set featured an early back-and-forth. Senior outside hitter Kyleene Filimaua recorded her first kill of the afternoon, giving Florida State a 5-4 lead.
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The Seminoles extended their advantage to 10-6, prompting Notre Dame to call a timeout. The Irish responded by working their way back and tying the set 12-12.
FSU regained control and held a 15-13 lead heading into the media timeout. Whalen kept the momentum going with her third kill of the match, and the ’Noles held the lead down the stretch to take the opening set 25-20. The Garnet and Gold finished the first set with three blocks, 14 kills, and two service aces.
Seminoles go strong in second set
Florida State opened the second set with a block by Filimaua. Notre Dame quickly responded with a kill to even the score 1-1, but Whalen put the Seminoles back in front on the following play. After trading points early, FSU established a 7-5 lead.
The ’Noles kept the momentum going as Filimaua recorded her fifth kill of the afternoon, extending the lead to 10-6. Junior opposite Bailey Higgins and junior middle blocker Delaney Ewing teamed up for a block before the media timeout, sending the Garnet and Gold into the break with a 15-8 lead.
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Notre Dame came out of the timeout ready to play and cut the deficit to 20-16, but Florida State held on. Junior setter Emma Lilo added her second service ace of the match, and Whalen delivered her eighth kill of the afternoon to help the Seminoles close out the set 25-22. With a 2-0 lead in the match, FSU had totaled 27 kills, five blocks, and four service aces through the first two sets.
FSU seals the deal
The ’Noles carried their momentum into the third set, building a 12-7 lead over Notre Dame. They extended their advantage to 15-8 heading into the final media timeout of the match.
Filimaua recorded her 10th kill of the match to help the Garnet and Gold maintain a 20-12 lead. Florida State controlled the rest of the set, closing it out 25-16 to complete the sweep.
Filimaua led the Seminoles with 11 kills while adding six digs and two blocks for 12 total points. Whalen recorded a season-high eight kills, a career-high seven digs, and two blocks.
Lilo had her fifth double-double of the season, leading FSU with 26 assists and 11 digs, and added a match-high three aces. Higgins added four kills and a match-high five blocks, while sophomore middle blocker Nenu Kpea contributed six kills and four blocks.
The ’Noles will travel to Blacksburg, Virginia, to face Virginia Tech on Friday, Oct. 30, at 6 p.m., then head to Charlottesville, Virginia, to take on the University of Virginia on Sunday, Nov. 1 at 1 p.m.
“I’m really excited. I'm hoping this will have a lot of momentum for us to go on to the next stretch of games,” Whalen said. “I'm excited for you guys to see what we have in store.”
Gretchen Knight is a Staff Writer for the FSView & Florida Flambeau, the student-run, independent online news service for the FSU community. Email our staff at contact@fsview.com.
This article originally appeared on FSU News: Florida State volleyball sweeps Notre Dame for fifth ACC win