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Sept. 16, 1997

Florida State Tackles TAAC Teams in Florida Atlantic Tournament

Florida State Lady Seminoles

The Opponents

Opponent Notes
Mercer and FSU have both faced Georgia Southern thus far this season. The Bears swept GSU 15-2, 15-8, 15-4. FSU beat the Eagles 15-5, 15-0, 15-3. Mercer has also faced Georgia Tech, which FSU will play at home in 3 weeks.

Nole Notes

Nine and Counting
With its three-game victory over Georgia State Saturday afternoon, Florida State marked its best start in program history with its ninth win. The Lady Seminoles previous best start came in the 1982 season when FSU opened up 8-0.

Aisha Thornton

ACC: Another Round, Please
The Lady Seminoles took a pair of Atlantic Coast Conference weekly honors once again last week. Aisha Thornton was named Co-Player of the Week after hitting .737 on 29 kills in 38 attempts with just 1 error during three matches last week. Kate Hemlepp repeated as ACC Rookie of the Week following a 20-kill, .262 hitting percentage week.

Play the Percentages
Florida State has connected with its kills more successfully than its opponents thus far this season. The Lady Noles have a .330 hitting percentage in 1997 while its opponents are averaging just .092. In fact, FSU lowest hitting percentage in a match this season is .278. The best performance from an opponent is .151.

The Net Connection
In each of its first nine matches, the Lady Seminoles have had more kills, less hitting errors, and more block assists than their opponent.

Hold the Score
Florida State has had very few scares thus far this season. The Lady Seminoles have held their opponents to under 10 points in 21 of 28 games in 1997.

Big Against the Big Ten
Florida State has put up some of its best numbers of the season against the bigger schools. FSU recorded its most kills (58) and total blocks (15) of the season against Michigan in the All-Sport Volleyball Challenge in Ann Arbor. The Lady Seminoles served up a season-high 10 aces against Purdue and tallied 12 total blocks in the FSU Classic.

LaToya Presberry

A Time to Kill
Junior outside hitter LaToya Presberry has blasted at least 10 kills in 8 of 9 matches this season. Her only single-digit performance was 9 against Montana. Presberry's 18 kills against Eastern Michigan is the best total by a Lady Seminole this season. Her 15 kills vs. Michigan is the team's 2nd best.

The Brick Wall
The Lady Seminoles have put together an excellent team blocking force at the net. FSU has 126 block assists on the season while opponents have managed just 27 block assists.

Schneider Still Shining
Junior outside hitter Holly Schneider is still putting up solid numbers for the Lady Seminoles. Schneider has double-digit kills in 5 matches this season and is third on the team in kills and total blocks.

Bolten's Big D
Junior transfer Fiona Bolten continues to take charge on the court. FSU's primary setter leads the team with 317 assists. On defense, Bolten is second on the team with 81 digs thus far this season.

Serving Up Six Aces
Holly Schneider tied a career-high with six service aces against Purdue in the Florida State Classic in late August. It is the most by a Lady Seminole since 1995 when Schneider aced Memphis 6 times during the South Florida Classic.

No Room at the Top
Florida State's stellar performance to start the seas put the team and several individuals at the top of numerous ACC statistical categories. Aisha Thornton and Susan Hawks are 1-2 in hitting percentage. Hawks, Thornton, and Susan Johnson hold 3 of the top 5 spots in blocks per game. As a team, FSU ranks in the top 3 in hitting percentage, kills per game, service aces per game, and blocks per game. Florida State holds ithe number one spot in hitting percentage with an outstanding .330 on 433 kills and just 125 errors in 934 attempts over the team's first five matches.

Arnold Still Out
Senior outside hitter Laura Arnold is not expected to play this weekend when the Lady Seminoles visit Boca Raton for the Florida Atlantic Tournament. She is continuing to rest her ankle which was injured during the opening weekend of action for the Lady Seminoles in late August.

Honors & Awards

By the Numbers

Florida State remained at the top of several team and individual statistical categories following three weeks of action for ACC schools.

Individual

Hitting Percentage
1. Aisha Thornton, .438;
2. Susan Hawks, .402;
9. Kate Hemlepp, .344

Assists per Game
4. Fiona Bolton, 11.74

Kills per Game
5. LaToya Presberry, 3.86;
10. Aisha Thornton, 3.25

Service Aces Per Game
1. Holly Schneider, 0.64;
9. Fiona Bolten, 0.37

Blocks per Game
2. Susan Hawks, 1.48;
3. Susan Johnson, 1.33;
5. Aisha Thornton, 1.29

Team

Hitting Percentage
1. Florida State, .330

Kills per Game
1. Clemson, 17.00;
3. Florida State, 15.46

Service Aces per Game
1. North Carolina, 2.37;
3. Florida State, 2.00

Blocks per Game
1. Clemson, 3.33;
3. Florida State, 2.75

Atlantic Coast Conference Standings

    School          Conf   Ovrll    Games
1   Florida State   0-0     9-0     27-1
2   Clemson         0-0     8-0     24-8
3   Maryland        0-0     5-0     15-2
4   Virginia        0-0     6-5     23-18
5   Wake Forest     0-0     4-4     14-13
6   North Carolina  0-0     4-4     13-14
7   Duke            0-0     4-6     14-19
8   Georgia Tech    0-0     4-8     15-27
9   NC State        0-0     0-9     7-27

Looking Ahead

Florida State looks to remain undefeated to set up a marquee matchup with the in-state rival Lady Gators in the friendly confines of Tully Gymnasium next week. Florida is currently ranked #2 in the latest AVCA/USA Today Volleyball Coaches Poll. UF has won the last 4 meetings, but FSU leads the overall series 21-18.

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