Tampa, Fla, – The second day of the Tampa Invitational Beach Volleyball Tournament kicked off with the No. 2 Florida State Seminoles taking on No. 3 TCU, Florida Gulf Coast and finishing the Invitational off against host Tampa.
FSU 1, No. 3 TCU 4
The Seminoles had their biggest test of the season so far facing off against No. 3 TCU and the two teams came to play.
On court four the Horned frogs took their first dual point of the match, beating Alexis Durish and Caitlin Moon in two close sets. The first set finished 21-18 and the second set finished 21-16.
On court five, Alex Hilton and Makenna Wolfe had a three-set battle. The pair dropped the first set 21-16, then fought back from behind to take the second set 21-17. The third set was back and forth with an incredible effort from Hilton and Wolfe but ultimately ended in favor of TCU, with the Horned Frogs getting the 15-13 win.
Court one finished with Maddie Anderson and Paige Kalkhoff fighting hard but dropping both sets 21-15 for TCU’s third dual point of the match.
Jordan Polo and Morgan Chacon had a tough three-set fight against the Horned Frogs. Polo and Chacon won the first set 21-15 and then dropped the second set 21-14. A back-and-forth third set went to extra points with TCU getting a 25-23 win.
On court two, Raelyn White and Anna Long also had a three-set battle. The duo dropped the first set 21-15 but battled back in the second set for a close 21-19 win, and the momentum carried White and Long to a 15-12 victory in the third set for the Seminoles' first point of the match.
FSU 3, FGCU 2
After a brief break, the Seminoles returned to the sand to face Florida Gulf Coast. On court five Chloe Charles and Carra Sassack started hot winning the first set 21-15 and the two took a close second set 22-20 giving the Noles their first dual point.
Court four started with Maddie Trusty and Audrey Rothman winning the first set 21-16. The two battled in the second set taking it to extra points before ultimately dropping the set 22-20. TCU took a close third set 15-12.
On court one Maddie Anderson and Paige Kalkhoff were dominant in the first set winning a quick 21-13 victory. The pair continued their stellar effort with a 21-10 win in the second set, giving the Noles their third dual point of the match.
Court two sent the Seminoles into another third set. Caitlin Godwin and Anna Long won the first set 21-11. The duo then dropped the second set 21-15. In a hard-fought third set that went to extra points, the duo lost 16-14 giving FGCU their second dual point of the match.
On court three Jordan Polo and Audrey Koenig wasted no time getting the Noles their second dual point of the match. The pair played a defensive game in the first set winning 21-11 without trailing FGCU. It was a similar story in the second set, with Polo and Koenig getting a 21-16 win.
FSU 4, Tampa 1
The last match of the day has the Noles facing off against Tampa. FSU came out hot with Chloe Charles and Makenna Wolfe getting a 21-15 win in the first set on court 5 and making quick work of the second with a 21-11 win.
Court four started with Carra Sassack and Audrey Rothman dropping a close 17-21 first set. The pair fought back in the second taking it to extra points before getting the win 24-22.
Jordan Polo and Audrey Koenig wasted no time winning the first set 21-15 on court three. The duo quickly took a 21-12 win over Tampa in the second set giving the Noles their third dual point of the match.
Playing on court two Raelyn White and Anna Long wasted no time getting the Seminoles their fourth dual point of the match winning 21-14 and 21-16. They managed to get the second set into extra points but ultimately lost 22-20 giving Tampa its only dual point.
The Seminoles will travel to Atlanta this Wednesday, March 8th, to take on No. 20 Coastal Carolina, Mercer University, and No. 10 Georgia State.