The Daily Nole

Seminole Saturday Summary: Noles Clinch ACC Double-Bye, FSU’s Carlson Wins Two Golds at ACC Swim/Dive Championships

Mike Olivella/FSU athletics

For the third time in four seasons and for the second straight year, Florida State men’s hoops will have a double-bye in the ACC Tournament.

The Seminoles clinched the feat this week with wins over Pittsburgh on Tuesday and at NC State on Saturday. With the victories, FSU will finish no worse than fourth in the ACC during the regular season. It also tied last season’s program record with 13 ACC wins as FSU improved to 23-4 overall and 13-3 in conference.

FSU didn’t get off to a great start in either game, but pulled away in the second half against Pittsburgh on Tuesday in an 82-67 win. FSU shot 50 percent as a team. Patrick Williams paced the Seminoles with 16 points.

On Saturday, FSU trailed at the break, but opened the second half on a 14-5 run and never trailed again. The Seminoles led by as many as 10 in the second half. They missed seven of eight free throws during a stretch late in the game, but continued to get timely stops. Williams and M.J. Walker each scored 12 points in the 67-61 victory.

This coming week, Florida State will aim for season sweeps of Louisville and Clemson. Monday’s home contest against the Cardinals could play a huge role in determining an ACC regular season champion.

Molly Carlson and Ayla Bonniwell each won medals at the ACC Championships in Greensboro. (Jeremy Esbrandt/D’Vel Photography/FSU athletics)

As a team, Florida State women’s swimming and diving was forced to settle for a seventh-place finish at the ACC Championships in Greensboro. When it came to diving however, Molly Carlson stole the show.

Carlson finished with two ACC golds and a silver. Carlson won both the 3-meter and platform diving events. In the 3-meter dive, teammate Ayla Bonniwell finished second.

Carlson was forced to settle for second in the 1-meter dive, but she and Bonniwell weren’t the only Seminoles to medal over the 4-day event. In the women’s 100-yard freestyle, Ketu Alnek and Rebecca Moynihan finished second and third for the Seminoles.

Virginia claimed the ACC team title in Greensboro. FSU now prepares for Zone B diving and then the NCAA Championships.

Football

Weekly Commitments: None
2021 Recruiting Class Ranking: No. 17 nationally, fourth in ACC (5 total commitments)*

Men’s Basketball

Record: 23-4 (13-3 ACC)
Ranking: No. 8 AP Poll; No. 8 USA Today Coaches Poll
Past Week: (2-0), defeated Pittsburgh, 82-67; defeated NC State, 67-61
Upcoming: vs. Louisville (Monday); at Clemson (Saturday)
Recognitions: Leonard Hamilton (Naismith Men’s Coach of the Year watch list); Trent Forrest, G (Weaver-James-Corrigan Postgraduate Scholarship Award, CoSIDA Academic All-District)
Weekly Commitments: None
2020 Recruiting Class Ranking: No. 46 nationally, 10th in ACC (2 total commitments)*
Big Picture: Florida State had another solid week and has clinched a double-bye in the ACC Tournament. FSU also tied last season’s record for ACC wins in a season.

Weekly Review

Pittsburgh 67, (8) FSU 82
Tuesday, Feb. 18

Florida State overcame another slow start to easily defeat Pittsburgh and avoid the season sweep. The Seminoles shot 50 percent in the win and held a 40-27 advantage on the glass. FSU led by as many as 22 points in the second half. Patrick Williams led FSU with 16 points. Guards Trent Forrest and Anthony Polite each added 10 points in the victory. Au’Diese Toney added 15 points and made two of Pittsburgh’s four 3-pointers.

(8) FSU 67, NC State 61
Saturday, Feb. 22

Florida State trailed by seven late in the first half, but opened the second half on a 14-5 run. After NC State closed to within two late in the half, the Seminoles went on a 10-2 run to go up by double-digits. M.J Walker and Patrick Williams each scored 12 points to lead FSU. Devin Vassell added 11 points and Trent Forrest chipped in with 10. Malik Osborne grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds in the win. Devon Daniels scored a game-high 18 points for NC State to go with nine rebounds. Jericole Hellems finished with 14 points in the loss.

Women’s Basketball

Record: 21-5 (10-5 ACC)
Ranking: No. 17 AP Poll; No. 18 USA Today Coaches Poll
Past Week: (1-1), lost at Duke, 66-64; defeated Wake Forest, 78-67
Upcoming: at Georgia Tech (Sunday); vs. Clemson (Thursday)
Recognitions: None
Big Picture: After a hard-fought loss at Duke, FSU defeated Wake Forest on Thursday night to get to 10 ACC wins for a sixth straight season.

Weekly Review

(14) FSU 64, Duke 66
Sunday, Feb. 16

Florida State rallied from nine points down in the fourth quarter to take a 60-58 lead, but two free throws by Duke’s Haley Gorecki with 3.5 seconds remaining won the game for the Blue Devils. Nicki Ekhomu had a look for 3 to win the game, but the shot was no good. Gorecki led all scorers with 21 points, but was just 3-for-14 from the field. Gorecki shot 16 free throws. FSU, as a team, shot just nine. Ekhomu finished with 19 points and eight assists. Nausia Woolfolk added 14 points and 11 rebounds for FSU in the loss. Leaonna Odom added 18 points and six rebounds for Duke.

Wake Forest 67, (17) FSU 78
Thursday, Feb. 20

FSU trailed at halftime and by five early in the second half, but used a 13-3 run in the third quarter to take control of the contest and never looked back. The Seminoles led by as many as 19 in the fourth quarter. FSU shot 70 percent in the second half and 57 percent for the game. Nicki Ekhomu finished with 23 points and six assists to lead the Seminoles. Kiah Gillespie added 15 points for FSU. Morgan Jones and Nausia Woolfolk tallied 14 and 13 points, respectively, in the win. Ivana Raca led Wake Forest with 17 points. Alex Sharp had a double-double for the Demon Deacons with 13 points and 10 rebounds.

Baseball

Record: 5-1
Ranking: No. 12 D1Baseball; No. 14 Baseball America; No. 15 NCBWA; No. 15 Collegiate Baseball
Past Week: (5-1), beat Niagara, 11-1; beat South Florida, 7-3; beat Cincinnati, 11-4; beat Cincinnat, 10-5
Upcoming: vs. Cincinnati (Sunday); at Jacksonville (Tuesday); vs. Florida Atlantic (Friday and Saturday); vs. Texas Tech (Saturday)
Recognitions: None
Big Picture: Since losing its opener, Florida State has won five straight games. The Seminoles have scored at least 10 runs in four of them.

Weekly Review

Niagara 1, (12) FSU 11
Sunday, Feb. 16

In a contest that was moved up three hours, Florida State set the tone with seven runs in the first inning. Robby Martin, Jackson Greene and Dylan Simmons all had two hits for the Seminoles. Martin also plated three runs. Peter Battaglia scored the lone run for Niagara. Conor Grady allowed just two hits while striking out seven and walking none in five shutout innings to earn the win.

South Florida 3, (12) FSU 7
Tuesday, Feb. 18

After Florida State tied the game with three runs in the fourth inning, Matheu Nelson’s 3-run home run in the bottom of the sixth broke a 3-3 tie and put the Seminoles ahead for good. Nelson finished with four RBIs in the win. Carter Smith was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored. Riley Hogan was 3-for-3 for South Florida in the loss. Chase Haney threw 2.1 innings of scoreless relief to earn the win for the Seminoles.

Cincinnati 4, (12) FSU 11
Friday, Feb. 21

Florida State was no-hit for five innings before breaking through with 10 runs over its final three at-bats. FSU went ahead for good with Elijah Cabell’s 3-run home run in the sixth. The Seminoles added four runs in the seventh and three in the eighth. Cabell finished with four RBIs in the win. Robby Martin and Reese Albert were each 2-for-4. Martin drove in two runs while Albert scored three times. Cincinnati lead-off man Jace Mercer was 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBIs and two runs scored in the loss.

Cincinnati 5, (12) FSU 10
Saturday, Feb. 22

Nander De Sedas’ 2-run single in the fifth inning put Florida State ahead for good as the Seminoles clinched the weekend series. For the second straight day, Elijah Cabell had a 3-run home run. That came in the sixth inning. Reese Albert also homered for FSU in the win. Tyler Martin was 3-for-4 with a run scored in the win. Griffin Merritt homered for Cincinnati. Merritt and Jeremy Johnson each finished with two RBIs for the Bearcats.

Men’s Tennis

Record: 9-2
Ranking: No. 18 ITA
Past Week: (2-0), defeated Tennessee Tech, 5-2; beat Buffalo, 6-1
Upcoming: vs. Oklahoma (Friday, Lake Nona)
Recognitions: None
Big Picture: After a week off, Florida State returned to action with a couple of easy home wins. FSU has one more match before beginning ACC play.

Weekly Review

Tennessee Tech 2, (18) FSU 5
Saturday, Feb. 22

After Florida State took the doubles point, three of the five singles duals went three sets. Alex Knaff clinched the match for the Seminoles with a 4-6, 6-0, 6-2 win over Tennessee Tech’s Rafael Tosetto. Chase Wood and Rana Roop Bhullar each won in straight sets for FSU. Tennessee Tech’s Carlos Vicente beat FSU’s Marcus Walters in straight sets in the only other dual that didn’t go three sets.

Buffalo 1, (18) FSU 6
Saturday, Feb. 22

Enzo Le Seguillon clinched the win for Florida State with a straight-set victory over Buffalo’s Simon Wibler. The Seminoles won five of the six singles duals with all of them coming in straight sets. Vilhelm Fridell scored the only singles win for the Bulls with a 6-1, 6-1 win over FSU’s Loris Pourroy.

Women’s Tennis

Record: 11-2 (2-1 ACC)
Ranking: No. 2 ITA
Past Week: (2-1), defeated Miami, 4-3; lost to North Carolina, 4-3; defeated Stetson, 4-0
Upcoming: at Florida Gulf Coast (Saturday)
Recognitions: None
Big Picture: It didn’t result in a win, but Florida State showed it was a force to be reckoned with in Friday’s loss to North Carolina. FSU is in great shape moving forward.

Weekly Review

Miami 3, (4) FSU 4
Monday, Feb. 17

The teams split the singles duals, but Florida State didn’t have to sweat things out in the ACC opener. After Victoria Allen and Andrea Garcia won in straight sets, Petra Hule clinched the match for FSU with a 7-6, 6-2 victory over Miami’s Daevenia Achong. Miami’s Selma Cadar defeated FSU’s Nandini Das in the only dual to go three sets.

(1) North Carolina 4, (2) FSU 3
Friday, Feb. 21

It took a third-set tiebreaker for No. 1 North Carolina to stay undefeated in Tallahassee on Friday afternoon. Florida State led 3-2, but the Tar Heels evened the match when Cameron Morra beat FSU’s Petra Hule, 6-1, 2-6, 7-6. With all eyes on Court 3, Elizabeth Scotty defeated FSU’s Nandini Das, 4-6, 6-2, 6-1. The doubles point for the Tar Heels turned out to be the difference. Sasha Hill and Andrea Garcia each won in straight sets for FSU. Victoria Allen edged North Carolina’s Alle Sanford, 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 to give the Seminoles the 3-2 advantage.

Stetson 0, (2) FSU 4
Friday, Feb. 21

After having its 4-match winning streak snapped, Florida State struggled very little with Stetson. All three singles wins for the Seminoles came in straight sets. Emmanuelle Salas clinched the match for FSU with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Stetson’s Danel Ashirova. Victoria Allen and Mira Stegmann also collected wins for the Seminoles. The lone Stetson player to take a set was Lucie Renault.

Track and Field

Ranking: Men No. 7 USTFCCCA;
Past Week: FSU participated in the JDL DMR Invitational and Alex Wilson Invitational
Upcoming: ACC Indoor Championships (Thursday through Saturday)
Recognitions: Trey Cunningham (ACC Track Performer of the Week); Shanice Love (Weaver-James-Corrigan Award)
Big Picture: The field of FSU competitors was relatively small this weekend, but the Seminoles scored a couple of wins in Winston-Salem. FSU will now prepare for the ACC Indoor Championships.

Weekly Review

JDL DMR Invitational
Friday, Feb. 21 and Saturday, Feb. 22

The lineup for FSU was small in Winston-Salem, but the Seminoles did score some wins. Maudie Skyring took first place in the women’s 1-mile run. Kasey Knevelbaard won the same event on the men’s side.

Alex Wilson Invitational
Saturday, Feb. 22

Florida State wasn’t all that well represented in South Bend. Amani Heaven, a freshman, finished fifth in the women’s shot put. Nadia Maffo scored a third-place finish in the women’s weight throw.

Swimming and Diving

Ranking: Men No. 14 CSCAA
Past Week: FSU participated in the ACC Championships
Upcoming: ACC Championships (Wednesday through Saturday)
Recognitions: Ayla Bonniwell (Weaver-James-Corrigan Postgraduate Scholarship Award); Cameron Thatcher (Weaver-James-Corrigan Postgraduate Scholarship Award)
Big Picture: Florida State’s women didn’t finish as well as last season at the ACC Championships, but the Seminoles dominated in diving. Through the diving events, the FSU men sit in third place.

Weekly Review

Women 7th at ACC Championships
Wednesday, Feb. 19 through Saturday, Feb. 22

The ACC Championships got off to a great start for FSU on the diving board on Wednesday. After finishing third in 2019, Molly Carlson claimed second place for FSU in the women’s 1-meter dive. The following night, Carlson and teammate Ayla Bonniwell took home first and second in the 3-meter dive. Carlson also took home ACC gold in the platform diving on Saturday night. In the women’s 100-yard freestyle, Ketu Alnek and Rebecca Moynihan finished second and third for the Seminoles.

Softball

Record: 7-4
Ranking: No. 9 NFCA Coaches Poll; No. 7 D1Softball; No. 8 USA Softball
Past Week: (1-1), defeated Liberty, 7-1 (St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational); lost to UCLA, 3-2 (St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational)
Upcoming: vs. UCF (Wednesday); vs. Baylor (Friday, Wooo Pig Classic); vs. Kent State (Friday, Wooo Pig Classic); vs. Baylor (Saturday, Wooo Pig Classic); at Arkansas (Saturday, Wooo Pig Classic);
Recognitions: None
Big Picture: Florida State went just 1-4 during its recent trip to the Gulf Coast. FSU gets set for another tough week.

Weekly Review

Liberty 1, (5) FSU 7
Sunday, Feb. 16 (St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational)

Cassidy Davis went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBIs as Florida State got its first win at the St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational. Sydney Sherrill scored a pair of runs for the Seminoles. Emily Sweat’s solo home run accounted for all the Liberty offense. Caylan Arnold allowed a run on five hits for the complete-game victory for FSU.

(2) UCLA 3, (5) FSU 2
Sunday, Feb. 16 (St. Pete/Clearwater Elite Invitational)

Aaliyah Jordan’s 2-run double in the seventh inning served as the game-winner as Florida State blew a second seventh inning lead in three days. Alyssa Garcia also plated a run for the Bruins. Sydney Sherrill hit a solo home run for FSU in the loss.

Men’s Golf

Ranking: N/A
Past Week: FSU currently sits in second place at the Seminole Intercollegiate
Upcoming: Seminole Intercollegiate (Sunday)
Recognitions: John Pak (Ben Hogan Award watch list)
Big Picture: After getting the spring section started with a win, FSU enters the final round of its home tournament in the hunt.

Women’s Golf

Ranking: N/A
Upcoming: Florida State Match-Up (Saturday through March 1)
Recognitions: None
Big Picture: In its first action in some time, Florida State had a strong showing in Mexico. The Seminoles notched a top-5 finish and the individual title.

Weekly Review

5th place at Guadalajara Collegiate Invitational
Sunday, Feb. 16 through Tuesday, Feb. 18

After being in seventh after the first two rounds, Florida State finished strong and in a tie for fifth place. As a team, the Seminoles shot +7. Virginia finished two strokes ahead of LSU at -8. While FSU was unable to take the team title, Amanda Doherty shot -10 to win the individual title over LSU’s Ingrid Lindblad. FSU’s Beatrice Wallin finished tied for fourth at -6.

Beach Volleyball

Record: 4-0
Ranking: No. 2 AVCA Coaches
Past Week: (4-0), defeated Louisiana-Monroe, 5-0; beat Houston Baptist, 5-0; beat Stetson, 4-1; beat TCU, 5-0
Upcoming: vs. Cal Poly (Sunday, Seminole Beach Bash); vs. South Carolina (Sunday, Seminole Beach Bash); vs. Tampa (Sunday, Seminole Beach Bash); vs. Grand Canyon (Saturday, Hilton Head SeaPines Invitational); vs. South Carolina (Saturday, Hilton Head SeaPines Invitational)
Recognitions: Alaina Chacon (Preseason All-CCSA); Madison Fitzpatrick (Preseason All-CCSA); Sara Putt (Preseason All-CCSA); Molly McBain (Preseason All-CCSA); Kate Privett (Preseason All-CCSA)
Big Picture: Over the first two days of the 2020 season, FSU felt little resistance. The Seminoles scored two wins over ranked opponents.

Weekly Review

Louisiana-Monroe 0, (2) FSU 5
Friday, Feb. 21 (Seminole Beach Bash)

Florida State didn’t lose a single set in its season opener. In fact, Louisiana-Monroe failed to score more than 14 points in any set. The combination of Kate Privett and Maddie Anderson clinched the match for FSU with a 21-11, 21-10 over Louisiana-Monroe’s Bailey Smith and Abbie Elder.

Houston Baptist 0, (2) FSU 5
Saturday, Feb. 22 (Seminole Beach Bash)

Florida State felt slightly more resistance in its second match of the season, but still won without losing a set. Payton Caffrey and Liz Waters-Leiga clinched the match for FSU with a 21-10, 21-19 win over Houston Baptist’s Lauren Huggins and Maddie Butters.

(9) Stetson 1, (2) FSU 4
Saturday, Feb. 22 (Seminole Beach Bash)

In its first contest against a ranked opponent, Florida State was able to take the match by winning four duals in straight sets. Keara Rutz and Jenna Johnson clinched the match for FSU with a 21-18, 21-13 victory over the Stetson duo of Kamryn Johnson and Madison Bobes. Ana Costa and Kyce Martins were the lone duo to win a dual for the Hatters as they topped FSU’s Alice Zeimann and Madison Fitzpatrick, 17-21, 21-12, 15-10.

(16) TCU 0, (2) FSU 5
Saturday, Feb. 22 (Seminole Beach Bash)

In four matches over the first two days of the 2020 season, Florida State has scored three 5-0 victories. Molly McBain and Alaina Chacon clinched the match for the Seminoles with a 21-10, 21-17 win over the TCU combo of Daniela Alvarez and Olivia Beyer. The lone dual to go three sets came on Court 4 as Payton Caffrey and Liz Waters-Leiga outlasted the Horned Frogs’ Avery Arellano and Hailey Brockett, 21-16, 15-21, 15-8.

Other News

Florida State women’s hoops will host a Diaper Derby at halftime of its regular-season finale against Notre Dame held on Sunday, March 1.

FSU football cornerback A.J. Lytton has been “removed” from the team.

Both FSU baseball games at UCF on March 17 and 18 will now begin at 6 p.m. EST.

*247Sports Composite rankings

Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson. Like The Daily Nole on Facebook. To pitch an idea, author a post or to learn more about The Daily Nole, email Mike Ferguson at Mike@TheDailyNole.com.

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply