Oct. 8, 2009

Match Notes in PDF Format

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. - On the heels of four-straight matches in the friendly confines of its own gym, the No. 19 Florida State volleyball team heads to North Carolina this weekend to play against conference foes Wake Forest and Duke on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

In Durham, N.C., FSU will be looking to earn a win for the first time at Duke since the 1998 season.

The Seminoles (13-2, 4-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) are coming off two thrilling matches against Georgia Tech and Clemson in which both contests went all five sets. While the Seminoles may have fallen to the Yellow Jackets they managed to bounce back against the Tigers and finished the weekend at 1-1.

With the loss -- FSU's first since way back on Aug. 31 -- the team dropped two spots in this week's AVCA Division I Coaches Poll. Currently ranked No. 19 in the nation, the Seminoles are looking to learn from their shortcomings and build off their successes against the Demon Deacons and Blue Devils.

"We played very well for 80 percent of the weekend," FSU head coach Chris Poole said this week. "However, it is the small percentage of critical points that we need to clean up. We had opportunities in all three sets against Georgia Tech to win but didn't make the play. Credit both Georgia Tech and Clemson for playing well this weekend. We need to find a way to regroup and get better this week.

"The 19th ranking is a reflection of the loss, but we can't do anything about it except find a way to limit our mistakes this week and try to improve."

Both of this weekend's matches begin at 7 p.m.