TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Florida State volleyball team (18-9, 10-6) showed great resilience in their home finale on Friday night at Tully Gym, pulling out a hard-fought four-set victory (14-25, 25-18, 25-23, 25-18) over the North Carolina Tar Heels (15-12, 7-9). The win marks the Seminoles’ 12th victory at home, the most since 2015.
The Noles held a slight 10-9 advantage early in the first set, but the Tar Heels were able to rattle off 11 consecutive points to take a commanding lead. UNC would go on to take the set 25-14, led by Mabrey Shaffmaster’s six kills.
Florida State shook off its early struggles and went on a five-point run to take a 5-1 lead to begin the second set. North Carolina battled back to tie things up at 11 but the Noles could not be denied. FSU utilized an 8-1 run to claim a 25-18 victory. Emily Ryan and Khori Louis combined for nine of the Noles’ 14 kills.
Set three saw both teams deadlocked at 13 before a five-point run from the Seminoles gave them a lead that they would not relinquish. A kill from Emma Clothier put the finishing touches on the 25-23 win.
North Carolina fought back in set four, jumping out to a 14-9 lead as Florida State’s offense struggled with attacking errors. The Noles found their stride down the stretch though, finishing the set with six unanswered points en route to a 25-18 match-clinching victory.
Audrey Koenig was a machine in the back row, shattering her career-high in digs (19) while Emery Dupes added 15 of her own. The Noles featured a balanced offensive attack as Koenig, Ryan and Louis contributed 11 kills apiece and Clothier tallied 10.
Florida State’s next test will be on Wednesday as they travel to Coral Gables to take on the Miami Hurricanes. Fans can catch the action on ACC Network Extra at 3 p.m.
For updates and exclusive content, follow the Noles on Twitter (FSU_Volleyball), Instagram (fsuvolleyball) and Facebook (Florida State Seminoles Volleyball).