Florida State @ USC 3-7-2019 BVB

This game has #4 Florida State taking on #2 USC there in Malibu, California

This is a 5'10 sophomore for USC, Sammy Slater. USC's first game is against Florida State while their second game is against Stetson there in Malibu

This is a 6'1 graduate for Florida State, Payton Rund. Florida State's first game is against USC while their second game is against Long Beach State there in Malibu

Dear Readers~


On Thursday, March 7, 2019 the Florida State Seminoles traveled to southern California to take on the USC Trojans in a game of beach volleyball at the Merle Norman Stadium there in Los Angeles, California as part of the East meets West Invitational. The game between the two teams was at 10 am Pacific Time, which is at 1 pm Eastern Time for the Florida team. After 8 wins in a row, Florida State was ready for a challenge. After having only 1 loss this whole season, USC brought just the challenge Florida State was looking for.

The first game to finish was the 5's which include Cammie Dorn and Mollie Ebertin, for USC, against Macy Jerger and Jenna Johnson, for FSU. The first set ended 21-12, in favor of Macy and Jenna. The second set ended at 22-20 with Cammie and Mollie getting their revenge for USC and causing a third set. The third set ended 15-12 with Macy and Jenna winning the game for FSU. That game gave FSU a 1-0 lead over USC.

The second game to finish wasthe 3's which had Haley Hallgren and Alexandra Poletto, of USC, against Molly McBain and Kate Privett, of FSU. The first set was the longest set between the two teams of the day. That set ended 27-25 wihth Molly and Kate taking the first set for FSU. The second set was similar in scoring, ending at 24-22, with Haley and Alexandra winning the second set and causing a third set. The third set ended at 15-13 with Haley and Alexandra winning, making the overall score 1 for USC and 1 for FSU.

The third game to finish was the 4's which had Payton Caffrey and Sara Putt, of FSU, against Joy Dennis and  Maja Kaiser, of USC. The first set ended 21-16 in favor of Payton and Sara for FSU. The second set ended 21-19 in favor of Joy and Maja for USC and also causing a third set. That set ended 15-9 with Payton and Sara winning for FSU and making the overall score 2-1, in favor of FSU.

The next game to finish were the 1's with Abril Bustamante and Tina Graudina, for USC, against Brooke Kuhlman and Payton Rund, for FSU. First set ended 21-16 in favor of Abril and Tina, for USC. The second set ended 21-17, in favor of Brooke and Payton, for FSU, and also causing a third set. The third set ended 15-9, in favor of Abril and Tina for USC, making the overall score now tied at 2 all.

The last game was the 2's with Terese Cannon and Sammy Slater, for USC, against Alaina Chacon and Madison Fitzpatrick, for FSU. The first set ended 27-25 with Terese and Sammy winning the first set. The second set was also close at 21-19 but with Alaina and Madison winning that set and causing a third set to happen. The third set ended15-13 with Terese and Sammy winning. By winning that game, The final score is 3-2 with USC beating Florida in 3 of the 5 games they played.

The next game both teams play will be on Saturday, March 9, 2019 in Manhattan Beach, California as part of the East Meets West Invitational. USC takes on Florida International, or FIU, at 8:40 am Pacific Time while FSU will take on Pepperdine at 2:30 pm Eastern Time.

The head coach of FSU is Brooke Niles and most people don't know who that it. Well, she's married to one of the best beach volleyball players that currently plays. His name is Nick Lucena. Nick also attended FSU and got his degree in sports management back in the early 2000's. Being an alumni from FSU, he attended the game and also helps coach the FSU beach team. If you want to see Nick in his element as a player, he did a video with the Mckibbin brothers titled "3 Tips to Improve Your Defense Beach Volleyball Tutorial" You can check that out at the link below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpk8xk4eviY and make sure to follow him on Instagram: @njlucena

 

On the left is Nick Lucena and on the right is Maddison Mckibbin

On the USC side of things, there's Nicolette Martin, who majored in art as well as used to play volleyball for USC. If you're wondering why I put her major in there then you probably should follow her on Instagram (@nicmartin_vb) because she's doing a giveaway of one of her awesome art balls so check her out on Instagram for your chance to win the awesome prize or win it for someone else. She was also in a video with the Mckibbin brothers titled "AVP Seattle 2018 The Players Tent" and I recommend checking that video out. The link is down below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEyToNf4YNE

 

This is the ball that Nicolette is giving away. If you want to win it for you or someone else, find this post on her Instagram (@nicmartin_vb) and follow the rules

 

 

From left to right: Nicolette Martin, Allie Wheeler, and Riley Mckibbin at the 2018 AVP Seattle Open in June

Don't forget to mark your calendars for the first weekend of May when many tournaments happen. There's the AVP's first stop of the season happening in Huntington Beach, California happening from May 3-5 along with the men's NCAA indoor volleyball national finals happening from May 2-4 in Long Beach, California. If you live on the east coast and want to watch some volleyball, May 3-5 also has the women's NCAA beach volleyball national finals happening in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Don't forget to check out some of my other blogs involving NCAA indoor volleyball for men or women, NCAA beach volleyball for women, or beach volleyball for the pros that play in the AVP, FIVB, or P1440. Until next time, Miller out


~J. Miller