Florida State’s week of athletics news has been a mixed bag, with weather forcing changes to two neutral-site events while the volleyball team kept rolling at home.
The biggest adjustment came in Pensacola, where FSU’s men’s basketball exhibition against Mississippi State and the baseball Fall Ball game against Auburn were both canceled as Tropical Storm Isaias continues to strengthen. The storm is forecast to become a hurricane and make landfall Friday evening along the Gulf Coast, with projected impacts stretching from Mississippi to the Florida Panhandle.
Event stakeholders are still looking at rescheduling the Southern Tip Off. If a new date is set, more information will follow, and ticket buyers for both games will receive an email update about their options as soon as possible.
Florida State said it is still monitoring the situation, but there are no additional impacts on FSU athletics events scheduled for this weekend. Men’s basketball is still set to continue its exhibition slate Wednesday, October 14, against Auburn at Ballin in Boutwell in Birmingham, Alabama. Baseball’s Fall Ball opener has also shifted home, now set for Friday, October 16, at 5 p.m. against Jacksonville.
Elsewhere, FSU women’s tennis heads to Coral Gables for the ITA Regional Championship at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center. Senior Laura Putz and freshman Nicole Okhtenberg will open the tournament Thursday in qualifying singles. Okhtenberg is chasing her third collegiate singles win after taking two matches at the Bedford Cup in Tampa, including a 6-0, 4-6, 1-0 (10) win over Stetson’s Yuki Mizuguchi.
On Friday, No. 94-ranked JoAnna Kennedy, Ariana Gilbert and Mary Boyce Deatherage are slated for main draw singles. Gilbert is coming off two wins at the Bedford Cup, highlighted by a 6-1, 6-1 victory over USF’s Francesca Miglio for her first collegiate singles win.
Kennedy and Deatherage are back after competing at the ITA All-American Championships, where each picked up a singles win and also teamed for a doubles victory over a Texas duo in the opening round. Kennedy’s first collegiate singles win came in a 6-2, 6-3 result over Oklahoma’s Laura Brunkel.
In doubles, Putz and Kennedy will pair up, as will Okhtenberg and Gilbert in the main draw Friday. Putz, Okhtenberg and Gilbert all won doubles matches in their last action at the Bedford Cup.
Putz and Okhtenberg beat USF’s Josefine Falster and Miglio 6-4 in consolation play. Gilbert, alongside Abby Kelliher, reached the Bedford Cup doubles final after opening with a 6-1 win over Stetson’s Alissia Aleksandra Kivi and Lena Karolina Hornechka, then beating FAU’s No. 48 tandem 6-2 before taking a 7-6(4) tiebreak to reach the final.
On the football side, the line for FSU’s game against Louisville moved slightly, shifting from 5.5 points in the Cardinals’ favor to 3.5, with an over/under of 59.5, according to FanDuel. Florida State’s availability report did not change in Wednesday’s update, while Louisville removed safety TJ Banks from its report after originally listing him as questionable.
And on the court and the floor, Florida State volleyball kept its home momentum alive with a 3-1 win over Jacksonville on Wednesday night, extending a four-match home winning streak. The Seminoles finished with 55 kills, 69 digs and eight blocks, and three players hit double figures in kills: senior outside hitter Kyleene Filimaua with 16, sophomore middle blocker Nenu Kpea with 13 and junior opposite hitter Bailey Higgins with 11.
Filimaua and Higgins both posted double-doubles. Filimaua added 14 digs for her seventh double-double of the season, while Higgins had 15 digs for the first double-double of her career, along with a career-high in digs.
Kpea was especially efficient, hitting a career-high .684 on 19 attempts. Junior setter Emma Lilo led the way with 43 assists and also added 13 digs for her fourth double-double of the season.
FSU opened by taking control early in the first set before Jacksonville briefly leveled things at 10-10. The Seminoles pushed back in front and closed it out 25-17. The second set followed a similar pattern, with Jacksonville grabbing an early lead before Florida State answered with a 5-0 run and eventually pulled away to win 25-22.
Jacksonville stayed alive by taking the third set 26-24 after the teams traded runs late, but Florida State answered in the fourth. The Seminoles jumped out 4-0, built a 10-4 lead and held off a late push before finishing the match 25-23.
Florida State stays home for conference play this weekend, hosting Georgia Tech on Friday at 7 p.m. and Clemson on Sunday at 1 p.m.
In Other News...
Florida State Gets A Real Chance To Expose Louisvilles Biggest Weakness
Louisville comes into its matchup with Florida State carrying more than just the weight of three losses. The Cardinals have been undone by a defense that has given up too many big plays, along with penalty trouble that has repeatedly put them behind the chains. Add in an inconsistent running game, and there are clear reasons why this team has struggled to find steadier footing.
For Florida State, that creates a real opening to make Louisville defend every inch of the field and force the Cardinals to clean up the mistakes that have hurt them all season. Jacob Polacheck of Cardinal Authority has pointed to those problem areas ahead of the game, and they shape the entire matchup. If the Seminoles can pressure Louisville into the same kinds of errors, the Cardinals' biggest weakness may be impossible to hide for long. [Read more 🡒]
Luke Loucks Is Showing How Far FSU Will Go For Impact Talent
Florida States pursuit of impact talent took an uncommon route this spring, with Luke Loucks and Jim Moran going overseas to make a personal impression on Sebastian Ranciks family. The Seminoles were chasing more than a body for the frontcourt, targeting a 6-foot-11 junior power forward from Slovakia whose versatility fit what they want to build, and the lengths they went to say plenty about how aggressively this staff is recruiting in its first wave of roster construction.
Rancik eventually became one of the names that gave the class real traction after entering the transfer portal and landing at Florida State, where he is expected to play a meaningful role next season. For a program trying to reestablish itself quickly, adding a player with his size and skill was important, but the bigger story may be the willingness to cross borders and lean into personal relationships to get him in garnet and gold. [Read more 🡒]
FSU Faces One Road Test That Could Shift Everything
Florida States trip to Louisville comes with the usual road-game questions, but the Cardinals bring a few of their own after a stretch marked by penalties and turnovers. Matt McGavic of WHAS11 News laid out the issues facing Louisville, while also noting how the team has tried to keep moving forward with quarterback Kienholz continuing to develop and a defense trying to hold together under an inexperienced coaching staff.
For the Seminoles, that makes this more than just another ACC stop. Louisville still has players worth tracking on both sides of the ball, and the matchup offers a clear test of whether FSU can handle a disruptive environment against a team still searching for cleaner football. If the Cardinals cut down on mistakes, this could get interesting fast for Florida State. [Read more 🡒]