Photo Courtesy: Florida State Athletics
Courtesy Seminoles.com
Released 04/11/2015
FSU Captures Fiesta Team Cup for Third Time in Four YearsSIESTA KEY, FLA. – The Florida State sand volleyball team concluded the first day of competition at the Fiesta on Siesta Key tournament by winning the 2015 Fiesta Team Cup for the third time in four years. The Seminoles had a 32-12 combined record throughout the all day event, including finals appearances in two Team Cup brackets.
“I am very proud of our team,” head coach Danalee Corso said. “Because of our depth, all of our players get a lot of attention and an opportunity to develop in a tournament like this. We rested up well for this event and played strong throughout the long day.”
Florida State was led by junior Annie Montgomery and freshman Vanessa Freire. The pair reached the Team Cup Gold Bracket finals and posted a 6-1 record on the day. Freire and Montgomery were winner in 10 of their last 11 matches heading into the tournament. Last year, Montgomery won the Silver Bracket with partner Julia Thompson.
“Annie and Vanessa are the most improved individuals and pair on our team,” Corso said. “They almost beat Loyola Marymount’s No. 1 team earlier this season, which is the best team in the nation. They beat a lot of good teams today and I am expecting them to have a great rest of the season.”
The Noles also got help from junior Julie Brown and redshirt sophomore Katherine Plessy who reached the semifinals, and from indoor volleyball players’ sophomore Katie Horton and freshman Cecilie Woie who made it to the quarterfinals in the Gold Bracket.
Junior Karlie Hauer and freshman Meghan Conway both played extremely well and made an appearance in the Team Cup Bronze Bracket finals. Today was the first time the pair has played together all season and they won four straight single elimination matches to reach the finals.
“This was the first time all of the indoor girls have played in a beach volleyball tournament for Florida State,” Corso said. “They had a hard time with the sun and the long day, but the surface of the beach allows them to move and jump better. I think that they had a great time and that is what excites me -- to introduce beach volleyball to people who have never played it before and for them to fall in love with it. I think it was a very successful day in that regard for the indoor girls that play on our team.”
The day started with the first matches of pool play for the Fiesta Pairs Competition, which consists of the top-3 pairs from each school. The Fiesta Pairs Competition bracket play will begin on Sunday to determine the top-pair in the tournament.
The Seminoles had a strong showing in the Pairs pool play, winning seven of the nine matches played.
Florida State’s No. 1 duo of seniors Taylor Nyquist and Melanie Pavels swept their pool with three straight victories and will compete in the Fiesta Pairs Gold Bracket.
Senior Sarah Wickstrom and sophomore Sierra Sanchez, and junior Nina Pellitteri and freshman Tory Paranagua dropped their first match in pool play, but won their next two matches to set themselves up nicely for bracket play.
“These long days help us get better leading up to National Championship,” Corso said. “Tomorrow is another opportunity to get stronger as a team.”
FSU will finish up competition at the Fiesta on Siesta Key tournament on Sunday with the Fiesta Pairs Competition bracket play and invitation pool play beginning.
Results:
Fiesta Team Cup
Pool Play (1 set to 25 points)
Pool NN
Brown/Plessy (FSU) def. Knight/Schueman (Webber) 25-22
Brown/Plessy (FSU) def. Burgreen/Nosovitch (SC) 25-8
Brown/Plessy (FSU) def. Hall/Strickland (SCC) 25-12
Pool OO
Horton/Woie (FSU) def. Melo/Umana (Webber) 25-12
Horton/Woie (FSU) def. Fourspring/Interwies (GSU) 25-19
Horton/Woie (FSU) def. Hollman/Fischer (CofC) 25-21
Pool SS
Kubura/Thompson (FSU) def. Babowicz/Gesualdo (JU) 25-18
Morris/Wood (LSU) def. Kubura/Thompson (FSU) 25-23
Kubura/Thompson (FSU) def. Harrison/Hoff (UNF) 25-17
Pool UU
Freire/Montgomery (FSU) def. Desaulnay/Ferguson (UNF) 25-16
Freire/Montgomery (FSU) def. Howard/Logoleo (UAB) 25-17
Freire/Montgomery (FSU) def. Connors/Spreyerer (STET) 25-16
Pool ZZ
Mesner/Wilcox (FGCU) def. Harkness/Joyce (FSU) 25-16
Harkness/Joyce (FSU) def. Atoa-Williams/Monserez (SC) 25-17
Harkness/Joyce (FSU) def. Barnett/McMahon (JU) 25-15
Pool DDD
Conway/Hauer (FSU) def. Rountree/Sprague (PC) 25-9
Cupp/Toghiyani (FIU) def. Conway/Hauer (FSU) 25-17
McPherson/Turner (UNF) def. Conway/Hauer (FSU) 25-16
Bracket Play (1 set to 25 points)
Gold Bracket
Round of 16
Brown/Plessy (FSU) def. Cupp/Toghiyani (FIU) 26-24
Freire/Montgomery (FSU) def. Liddle/Shurtz (TUL) 25-22
Horton/Woie (FSU) def. Rohan/Wilson (GSU) 28-26
Quarterfinals
Brown/Plessy (FSU) def. Fraley/Hicks (FAU) 25-20
Freire/Montgomery (FSU) def. Monforte/Nash (FIU) 25-22
Galinis/Pellitteri (FAU) def. Horton/Woie (FSU) 25-21
Semifinals
Freire/Montgomery (FSU) def. Akins/Anderson (STET) 25-12
Galinis/Pellitteri (FAU) def. Brown/Plessy (FSU) 25-20
Finals
Galinis/Pellitteri (FAU) def. Freire/Montgomery (FSU) 25-18
Silver Bracket
Round of 16
Fourspring/Interwies (GSU) def. Harkness/Joyce (FSU) 25-18
Kubura/Thompson (FSU) def. Guyton/Wilson-Talmadge (SC) 25-18
Quarterfinals
Kalin/Tormey (STET) def. Kubura/Thompson (FSU) 25-23
Bronze Bracket
Play In Game
Conway/Hauer (FSU) def. McCormick/Recaborde (SC) 25-14
Round of 16
Conway/Hauer (FSU) def. Knight/Schueman (Webber) 25-8
Quarterfinals
Conway/Hauer (FSU) def. Babowicz/Gesualdo (JU) 25-19
Semifinals
Conway/Hauer (FSU) def. Darby/Neuenfeldt (SC) 25-19
Finals
Nushtayeva/Swan (JU) def. Conway/Hauer (FSU) 25-16
Fiesta Pairs Competition
Pool Play (Best of 3 sets to 21 points)
Pool B
Nyquist/Pavels (FSU1) def. Boyle/Leak (LSU3) 21-18, 21-18
Nyquist/Pavels (FSU1) def. Carpenter/Whiting (EC3) 21-11, 21-17
Nyquist/Pavels (FSU1) def. Alyman/Garbutt (UNF2) 21-13, 21-17
Pool G
Lindelow/Orellana (LSU1) def. Paranagua/N. Pellitteri (FSU2) 20-22, 21-18, 15-13
Paranagua/N. Pellitteri (FSU2) def. Arnette/McAlvany (EC2) 21-14, 21-13
Paranagua/N. Pellitteri (FSU2) def. Kinlaw/Trembley (UNF3) 21-16, 19-21, 15-10
Pool J
McGuire/Whitmire (UNF1) def. Sanchez/Wickstrom (FSU3) 19-21, 21-19, 18-16
Sanchez/Wickstrom (FSU3) def. Kotnik/Reis (EC1) 21-13, 21-8
Sanchez/Wickstrom (FSU3) def. Molle/Raicevic (LSU2) 21-16, 22-20