Football:
Florida State fell to No. 3 Miami 43-35 in double overtime Saturday at Hard Rock Stadium, dropping to 3-4 overall and 1-3 in the ACC. Ashton Daniels threw for 298 yards and four touchdowns, two of them to Duce Robinson, including a 75-yard score that tied the game with 2:49 left in regulation:
FSU’s final pass into the end zone was ruled an interception by Miami’s Bryce Fitzgerald after replay review, ending the game. Norvell questioned the call and said he didn’t receive an explanation from the officiating
crew:
Jordan Silversmith wrote about how a near-upset of a top-three rival on the road doesn’t change where the program stands:
Sophomore running back Ousmane Kromah underwent surgery on his left ankle and will miss the rest of the season after being carted off late in the first half Saturday. Kromah led the team with 609 rushing yards and five touchdowns:
FSU’s win total over/under is set at 6.5 wins, according to FanDuel. SP+ gives FSU a 59% chance at reaching bowl eligibility, with FPI giving the Seminoles a 69.7% shot at it.
Basketball:
Florida State women’s basketball beat Tampa 72-44 in an exhibition Sunday:
As a team, Florida State shot 42.4 percent from the floor and went an impressive 11-for-13 from the stripe. Sophomore Jasmine Nivar led the team offensively with 14 points, posting a 5-for-7 evening from the floor with a pair of free throws. Seniors Emma Risch and Sole Williams as well as junior Tatum Greene each finished with eight points, with Risch providing two of FSU’s five buckets from beyond the arc.
A point of emphasis for the season ahead, the Seminoles provided defensive firepower. Off the glass, Florida State outrebounded Tampa 43-19 and forced 17 turnovers, generating 19 points. The Seminoles also earned 11 steals, spearheaded by fifth year Timaya Lewis-Eutsey, who recorded five takeaways. She also contributed seven points, three boards and an assist.
Four freshmen made an appearance in the win, with Missy Odom making an immediate impact. Tied for the team lead with 25 minutes, Odom led the Noles off the board with nine rebounds – eight defensive – while adding seven points, two steals and an assist. Morgan Stewart dished a team-leading four assists while contributing five points and four boards.
While the Spartans got on the board first with early free throws in the first quarter, the Seminoles jumped ahead fast with a 10-0 run that spanned nearly six minutes. Florida State was efficient keeping Tampa off the board in return, outrebounding the Spartans 16-3 and holding them without a field goal for over three minutes to close out the quarter.
Threes from junior Greene, Odom and Stewart contributed to half of Florida State’s points at the end of the first frame with an 18-5 lead.
Sophomore Mari Gerton got on the board with a fast break layup to start the second quarter, and back-to-back threes from Risch paired with consecutive layups by sophomore Alabama transfer Joy Egbuna helped Florida State build upon their lead. Lewis-Eutsey added five points as well as her second steal of the game in the frame, extending a 39-19 lead going into the half.
Florida State shot 43.2 percent from the floor and outrebounded the Spartans 24-7 in a dominant first half. All but one Seminole contributed to scoring with Risch and Joy Egbuna matching with six points each to lead the team. Odom led the defensive effort off the glass with six boards while Stewart and senior guard Sole Williams each added a pair of assists.
Nivar delivered the hoop and harm in the third, single-handedly putting together an 8-0 scoring streak with three consecutive makes in the paint with a pair of free throws in the final two minutes of the quarter. Her 10-point performance in a span of six minutes saw her be the first Seminole to break into double figures. Williams dished a layup to close out the third, with the home side holding a 59-29 lead.
The fourth quarter saw the wealth spread as seven different Noles found the hoop. Freshmen Asia Lee and Kennedy Loux made appearances, recording three and four minutes each.
Florida State women’s basketball will host Palm Beach Atlantic for another exhibition matchup on Thursday, Oct. 22 at 6 p.m. before beginning the season against Merrimack on Nov. 2 at 6 p.m.
Soccer:
No. 24 Florida State earned its second straight ACC win, beating Pitt 2-1 on the road Sunday:
All Sports:
Florida State volleyball fell 3-0 at No. 5 SMU on Sunday (25-22, 25-23, 25-16), dropping to 10-8 overall and 4-3 in the ACC:
Four Seminoles recorded at least five kills, led by junior middle blocker Delaney Ewing, who finished with eight kills on a .538 hitting percentage and two blocks. Senior outside hitter Kyleene Filimaua added seven kills and six digs, while sophomore middle blocker Nenu Kpea recorded seven kills and a team-high five blocks. Freshman outside hitter Sofia Moss contributed five kills, six digs and three blocks.
Junior setter Emma Lilo led Florida State with 24 assists and nine digs.
The Seminoles battled throughout the opening set, using a 3-0 run to even the score at 4-4. Florida State stayed within one point at 10-9 before SMU built a 15-11 advantage at the media timeout. The Mustangs extended their lead to five, but the Noles continued to push back, cutting the deficit to one at 21-20. SMU closed the set 25-22 to take a 1-0 lead.
Florida State took an 8-6 lead in the second set after the teams traded points early. SMU moved ahead 15-12 at the media timeout. Trailing 20-16, the Seminoles responded with three consecutive points to pull within one. FSU fought off a set point and cut the deficit to 24-23, but the Mustangs held on for a 25-23 win to take a 2-0 lead.
SMU built an early advantage in the third set and held a 15-11 lead at the media timeout. The Mustangs maintained control down the stretch, closing out the set 25-16 to secure the 3-0 victory.
Florida State returns home Friday to host No. 3 Louisville at 6 p.m. inside Tully Gymnasium.
Florida State men’s golf sits ninth at 7-over after the first round of the Fallen Oak Collegiate Invitational:
The Seminoles found momentum on the back nine, as all six players carded birdies on the 15th.
Jack Whaley led the Noles, finishing the day 2-under, 70 and is tied for third place. He is two shots off the leader. Whaley was even on the front nine, but carded back-to-back bogeys on holes 10 and 11, slipping to 2-over. Whaley strung together four birdies in a row on holes 13, 14, 15, and 16 to climb up the leaderboard.
Shawn Coultoff caught fire on the same stretch as Whaley, stringing together three birdies in a row on 13, 14 and 15 and to finish the opening round strong, turning in a score of 2-over, 74. He is tied for 26th place.
Tyler Weaver followed, carding 3-over, 75 and sits tied for 35th. Wilmer Edero finished his back nine even, carding a round of 4-over, 76 and is tied for 43rd.
The Seminoles will be paired with No. 11 Illinois and No. 24 LSU for the second round on Sunday. Bock will start from the first tee at 10:30 a.m., followed by Edero at 10:40 a.m., Weaver at 10:50 a.m., Coultoff at 11:00 a.m. and Whaley at 11:10 a.m.
Florida State men’s tennis totaled 11 wins at the ITA Southeast Regional Championship in Atlanta, with three Seminoles reaching the quarterfinals of their draws:
Florida State sent seven players to Atlanta, including Mikail Alimli, Seydina Andre, Oren Ezerzer, Gabor Hornung, Justin Lyons, Azariah Rusher and Elias Sumann.
Andre led Florida State’s singles performance, advancing to the quarterfinals after earning a spot in the main draw. The true freshman opened with a 6-1, 6-2 win over Georgia Tech’s Jonathan Irwanto, before defeating Andreas Timini of Florida 6-3, 6-2 in the round of 32. He followed with a 6-4, 7-5 win over Wissam Abderrahman of UCF to secure his quarterfinal berth and extend his winning streak to three matches. Andre’s run ended in the quarterfinals with a loss to Georgia’s Noah Johnston.
In doubles, Andre teamed up with Alimli to defeat Georgia’s Eudald Gonzalez and Oliver Sanders 8-3 in the Round of 32, advancing to the next round.
Lyons went 1-1 in singles play, opening with a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Mercer’s Pablo Paternostro to advance to the main draw’s round of 32. The Florida native ultimately fell to Miami’s Jakub Kroslak in a two-set match.
In doubles, Lyons partnered with Rusher, who competed in his second ITA event of the year. The Seminole duo opened with an 8-4 victory over Florida Atlantic’s Jan Kusy and Lucca Acioly before securing a quarterfinal berth with another 8-6 win over South Florida’s Ashton McLeod and Guglielmo Verdese. Their run came to an end in the quarterfinals, where the pair fell 8-3 to Florida’s Henry Jefferson and Ty Host.
Hornung recorded two singles victories, beginning with an upset over South Florida’s Guglielmo Verdese in the Round of 64. The Hungary native followed with a 6-4, 6-3 win over UCF’s Nicolas Oliveira before falling to Florida Atlantic’s Roman Venger in a three-set match.
Ezerzer earned two singles victories, opening with a 6-1, 7-5 win over Georgia’s Noble Renfrow before defeating Florida Atlantic’s Jan Kusy 6-3, 6-4. His run ended with a loss to Georgia’s Noah Johnston. The France native also teamed up with Hornung in doubles, earning their lone victory against Florida’s Francesco Cordova and Roman Sancilio.
Sumann secured his spot in the singles main draw after opening the tournament with a victory over Florida Atlantic’s Lucca Pignation. Later that day, the Austria native defeated Georgia State’s Aleksandar Andrin, winning the first two sets before his opponent retired in the third to punch his ticket. Sumann continued his run in the main draw round of 64, earning a three-set victory over Florida’s Roman Sancilio before falling to Georgia Tech’s Lucas Yunez in his final singles match.
Florida State will continue its fall season at the ITA South Sectional Championships, scheduled for November 5-8 at the Speicher Tennis Center in Tallahassee.
Florida State swimming and diving won 21 of 22 events in a 586-203 win over George Washington on Saturday to close the Dual Meet Tournament in Atlanta:
Head Coach Neal Studd praised the teams’ performances this weekend, saying, “the kids swam really fast, we’re really focused on our long term plan and the end of the season… After a big training base, they’re still sprinting and swimming and doing some things really, really well.”
Mary Leigh Hardman was a leader over the weekend in the freestyle, setting a personal best on Saturday in the 100 free (49.49) and contributing to the winning 200 free relay team (1:30.96).
“I couldn’t be more happy, I think it’s a great start to the season. I’m way ahead of where I was last year in terms of my times, and I feel like I have a better attitude coming in,” Hardman said.
Mathias Christensen posted three wins in the 200 IM over the weekend, leading a 1-2-3 finish for the Noles on Saturday with a time of 1:45.50 and notching a win in the 200 fly (1:42.84).
“Great times so far, pretty close to my [personal best]. I think it’s a good start to the season, and can’t wait to get back into practice and see where the season can go,” Christensen said of his performance this weekend.
The FSU men took four 1-2-3 finishes. Andrew Rich won the 100 back (47.00), followed by Anthony Pineiro (47.91) and Willem Huggins (47.98). Logan Robinson (44.00), Gustav Olsson (44.04), and Levi Mozsarik (44.29) secured the top spots in the 100 free. The top 50 free spots went to Gustav Østerberg (20.19), Mozsarik (20.25), and Huggins (20.80). After Christensen, Clem Camacho (1:49.18) and Joey Coleman (1:51.18) took second and third in the 200 IM.
The Florida State women accounted for three 1-2-3 finishes. Martina Fanunza (2:13.93) took the win in the 200 breast, followed by Izzy Phifer (2:18.57) and Amelia Marek (2:20.66). Maryn McDade (22.67), Pauline Zeller (23.23), and Cara Knoblauch (23.56) led the way in the 50 free, while Sofia Jimenez (2:02.68), Lucy Porter (2:03.24), and Luiza Bersi (2:04.34) secured the top spots in the 200 IM.
The Noles swept on the the diving boards, with Jack Bessire (172.80) and Jack Sparks (165.75) placing first and second on the men’s 1-meter and Evelyn Hall (154.70) and Hayden Ferenc (140.90) winning the top spots on the women’s 3-meter. Hall also won the women’s 1-meter (143.05) and Bessire won the men’s 3-meter (182.75).
The Noles will return to Morcom Aquatics Center in Tallahassee to host the All Florida Invite at 2 p.m. on Oct. 23. The meet will include West Florida and North Florida.
Florida State baseball opened fall ball Friday night with a pair of six-inning exhibitions against Jacksonville at Dick Howser Stadium, wrapping up the opening weekend Saturday with two six-inning games against North Florida:
Against Jacksonville, Sophomore outfielder John Stuetzer had two hits, three RBI and a run scored with a home run in the first game. Senior catcher Kaden Frommelt and senior first baseman/left-handed pitcher Jackson McKenzie also homered as part of two-hit days. Freshman outfielder Genson Veras added two hits with two runs scored.
On the mound, McKenzie also pitched 1.0 no-hit innings in relief. He was one of five pitchers to not allow a run. Fifth-year lefty Kevin Mebil, senior right-hander John Abraham, junior righty Sebastian Lippman and sophomore right-hander Otto Espinoza all tossed 2.0 shutout innings. Espinoza struck out four and Abraham, Lippman and Mebil fanned three. Mebil did not allow a baserunner.
Espinoza, Lippman, McKenzie and Veras were four of several players to make their debuts in the Garnet and Gold on Friday night.
Against UNF, Senior outfielder Brody DeLamielleure had three hits in four at-bats on Saturday and freshman outfielder Genson Veras had two hits and two RBI with a home run. Three more Seminoles had multi-hit days, while junior catcher Coy Clements drove in a pair of runs.
On the mound, senior left-hander Payton Manca and junior righty Jordan Martinez both pitched 2.0 scoreless innings, as Manca did not allow a hit and Martinez struck out three. A pair of freshman, lefty Spencer Krasner and right-hander Donovan Thiery, each threw 1.0 no-hit innings for the Seminoles, with Thiery firing a perfect frame.
Next weekend, the Seminoles travel to Tampa Bay for a matchup against South Florida at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater on October 24. First pitch is set for 1 p.m. ET at the Spring Training home of the Philadelphia Phillies and their Single-A affiliate, the Clearwater Threshers.
