Seminole Saturday Summary: FSU Volleyball Falls to UCF in NCAA Tournament; Women’s Hoops Notches Consecutive Wins Over Ranked Teams

Of Florida State’s five fall sports programs, the season is now over for four of them.

Florida State volleyball saw its season come to an end on Thursday evening with a hard-fought 5-set loss to UCF. After dropping the first set, the Seminoles won the next two before falling to the Knights in the final two sets.

FSU held a 3-1 early in the decisive set, but the Knights would rally to tie the set at 7-7. From there, UCF closed the set on an 8-1 run to advance to face host Florida while FSU’s season came to an end, 19-25, 25-20, 25-20, 18-25, 8-15.

In the final match of her career, Payton Caffrey led the Seminoles with a match-high 25 kills to go with 14 digs. Taryn Knuth added 11 kills while Taylor Roberts finished with a match-high 30 digs in the loss.

McKenna Melville led UCF with 20 kills and 27 digs. Kristina Fisher added 19 kills and 19 digs for the Knights in the win while Makezie Kuchmaner tied a team-high with 27 digs. The 3-2 loss marks the second season in a row that FSU was bounced in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Kiah Gillespie has averaged 23 points in FSU’s back-to-back wins over ranked teams. (FSU athletics)

While fall sports are wrapping up, the 2019-20 season could not have started much better for Florida State women’s basketball. The Seminoles are off to an 8-0 start and notched a pair of victories by double digits over ranked teams this past week.

The Seminoles made a major statement on Sunday night with an emphatic 80-58 win at No. 6 Texas A&M in the Maggie Dixon Classic. FSU trailed 20-18 after one quarter, but outscored the Aggies 22-12 in the second quarter and never looked back.

FSU shot 53 percent from the field and held Texas A&M to below 40 percent and just six points in the final quarter. Nausia Woolfolk paced FSU with 24 points in the win while Kiah Gillespie tallied 22 points and nine rebounds. Nicki Ekhomu chipped in with 15 points and a game-high 12 assists. Chennedy Carter scored 20 points to lead Texas A&M in the loss.

Against No. 19 Michigan State at home for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge on Thursday night, the Seminoles felt more resistance, but rallied for a 78-68 victory.

FSU trailed by 10 points in the second quarter and 52-49 entering the final period, but found a way to finish strong. Nicki Ekhomu knocked down a pair of free throws with less than four minutes to play to put the Seminoles ahead for good and they closed the contest on a 23-10 run. FSU held Michigan State to 35 percent shooting, but turned the ball over 20 times in the win.

Kiah Gillespie finished with game-highs of 24 points and 12 rebounds to lead FSU. Nicki Ekhomu and Valencia Myers finished with 15 and 12 points, respectively. Nausia Woolfolk also recorded a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. The Seminoles held a 46-30 rebounding advantage.

Nia Clouden finished with 22 points to lead Michigan State. At 8-0 and ranked No. 8 in the country, FSU will begin ACC play on Sunday at Clemson.

Football

Record: 6-6 (4-4 ACC)
Ranking: None
Past Week: Idle
Upcoming: TBD
Recognitions: Marvin Wilson, DT (All-ACC first team); Cam Akers, RB (All-ACC second team); Tamorrion Terry, WR (All-ACC second team); Hamsah Nasirildeen, S (All-ACC second team); Asante Samuel Jr., CB (All-ACC third team); Stanford Samuels III, CB (All-ACC honorable mention)
Weekly Commitments: None
Weekly Decommitments: Keyshawn Greene, 4-star OLB (No. 155 overall)*; Morven Joseph, 3-star DE (No. 403 overall)*; Josh Griffis, 3-star DE (No. 556 overall)*
2020 Recruiting Class Ranking: No. 22 nationally, fourth in ACC (14 total commitments)*
Big Picture: After another disappointing season, 6-6 FSU will find out where it will be headed for a bowl game on Sunday. The Seminoles lost three commitments on Friday.

Men’s Basketball

Record: 7-2 (0-1 ACC)
Ranking: No. 17 AP Poll; No. 19 USA Today Coaches Poll
Past Week: (0-1), lost at Indiana, 80-64
Upcoming: vs. Clemson (Sunday)
Recognitions: None
Weekly Commitments: None
2020 Recruiting Class Ranking: No. 25 nationally, sixth in ACC (3 total commitments)*
Big Picture: Florida State cracked the polls for the first time this season, but saw its 7-game winning streak come to an end in Bloomington. The Seminoles play a big ACC game on Sunday.

Weekly Review

(17) FSU 64, Indiana 80
Tuesday, Dec. 3 (ACC/Big Ten Challenge)
Indiana remained undefeated and ended Florida State’s 7-game winning streak with an impressive ACC/Big Ten Challenge victory at Assembly Hall. FSU trailed by as many as 15 in the first half, but whittled the lead down to three on multiple occasions in the second half. The Hoosiers ended the game on a 21-8 run. Indiana shot 56 percent from the floor and 7-for-15 from deep in the victory. Devonte Green paced Indiana with a career-high 30 points in the victory and made five of his seven 3-point attempts. Trent Forrest finished with 13 points to lead the Seminoles.

Women’s Basketball

Record: 8-0
Ranking: No. 8 AP Poll; No. 10 USA Today Coaches Poll
Past Week: (2-0), defeated Texas A&M, 80-58; defeated Michigan State, 78-68
Upcoming: at Clemson (Sunday)
Recognitions: None
Big Picture: Florida State looks like an elite team after notching back-to-back wins over ranked teams. At 8-0 for the second time in three seasons, the Seminoles will open ACC play on Sunday at Clemson.

Weekly Review

(17) FSU 80, (6) Texas A&M 58
Sunday, Dec. 1 (Maggie Dixon Classic)
Florida State made a major statement by going into College Station and dominating a top-10 Texas A&M squad. FSU shot 53 percent from the field and held the Aggies to under 40 percent. Nausia Woolfolk led FSU with 24 points while Kiah Gillespie added 22 points and nine rebounds. Nicki Ekhomu added 15 points and 12 assists. FSU trailed after a quarter, but used a big second period to seize control of the game. Chennedy Carter scored 20 points to lead Texas A&M in the loss.

(19) Michigan State 68, (8) FSU 78
Thursday, Dec. 5 (ACC/Big Ten Challenge)
FSU trailed Michigan State by 10 in the first half and by three entering the final quarter, but closed the game on a 23-10 run to remain undefeated on Thursday night. Nicki Ekhomu hit a pair of free throws with less than four minutes remaining to put the Seminoles ahead for good. FSU held Michigan State to just 35 percent shooting, but turned the ball over 20 times. FSU’s Kiah Gillespie finished with game-highs of 24 points and 12 rebounds. Nia Clouden paced Michigan State with 22 points. Ekhomu and Valencia Myers combined for 27 points in the FSU win. Nausia Woolfolk also recorded a double-double for the Seminoles with 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Soccer

Record: 18-6
Ranking: No. 1 seed NCAA Tournament
Recognitions: Malia Berkely, D (United Soccer Coaches All-Atlantic first team, United Soccer Coaches All-American first team); Deyna Castellanos, F (United Soccer Coaches All-Atlantic first team, United Soccer Coaches All-American second team); Jaelin Howell, M (United Soccer Coaches All-Atlantic second team); Yujie Zhao, M (United Soccer Coaches All-Atlantic third team); Gabby Carle, D (CoSIDA Academic All-American first team)
Big Picture: Florida State’s season ended shy of the College Cup, but the Seminoles did receive some notable individual recognitions this week.

Volleyball

Record: 19-10
Ranking: None
Past Week: (0-1), lost to UCF in NCAA Tournament, 3-2
Recognitions: Payton Caffrey, OH (All-ACC first team); Taryn Knuth, MB (ACC Defensive Player of the Year, All-ACC first team); Jasmyn Martin, OH (All-ACC second team); Emma Clothier, MB (All-ACC freshman)
Big Picture: FSU was eliminated in the first round of the NCAA Tournament for a second straight year with Thursday loss to UCF in Gainesville. FSU finishes a victory shy of its first 20-win season since 2016.

Weekly Review

UCF 3, FSU 2
Thursday, Dec. 5 (NCAA Tournament, Gainesville)
FSU watched its season end in Gainesville for a second straight year on Thursday night in five sets. UCF trailed 2-1, but rallied to win the final two sets and the match. FSU led 3-1 in the decisive fifth set, but UCF closed the set on an 8-1 run to end the Seminoles’ season. Payton Caffrey finished with a match-high 25 kills and 14 digs in her final match as a Seminole. Taryn Knuth added 11 kills in the loss while Taylor Roberts recorded a match-high 30 digs. McKenna Melville finished with 20 kills and 27 digs — both team-highs — for UCF in the win.

Other News

Former FSU running back Warrick Dunn received the Muhammad Ali Legacy Award for his philanthropic efforts.

FSU defensive end Malcolm Lamar has entered the transfer portal.

FSU is paying $100,000 to firm DHR International to assist the athletic department in its search for a football coach.

FSU football assistant Jim Leavitt is no longer with the program.

FSU is expected to hire Mike Norvell as its next head football coach.

*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.