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Yesterday’s Poll Results

Today’s Poll

🏹 Welcome to The Chief Brief! 🏹

Happy Saturday, Seminole.

Here’s what we’ve got for you today:

🏃‍♀️ XC Standout Debut 🏃‍♂️
Freshman Rylee Blade starred in her collegiate debut at the FSU XC Invite, pacing the women to a runner-up team finish while the men claimed 3rd.

🏊‍♂️ Poolside Dominance 🏊‍♀️
FSU swimming & diving opened the season with 16 event wins on Day 1 of the FSU Invite, sweeping relays and diving boards to jump out to a commanding lead.

🏐 Tiger Takedown 🏐
Volleyball opened ACC play by snapping Clemson’s undefeated start with a four-set road win — extending FSU’s streak to 20 straight over the Tigers.

🏈 Double OT Gut Punch 🏈
FSU football fell 46–38 at Virginia in double overtime, its first loss of the year. Despite three comebacks and 514 yards of offense, mistakes in the trenches and situational lapses proved costly ahead of next week’s Miami showdown.

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🏃‍♀️ Blade Shines in FSU XC Invite Debut 🏃‍♂️

Florida State cross country turned in strong performances Friday at Apalachee Regional Park, highlighted by freshman Rylee Blade’s impressive collegiate debut.

🔥 Women’s Highlights

• Blade finished 3rd overall in the 6k (20:03.5), pacing three Seminoles inside the top 10.

• Bieke Schipperen opened her junior season in 6th (20:34.1).

• Brooke Hooper placed 9th (21:00.3).

• FSU totaled 51 points for a 2nd-place team finish, just behind Georgia.

🔥 Men’s Highlights

• Aidan Ryan led the men with an 11th-place finish in the 8k (25:03.3).

• Kaden Levings (13th), Gino Palazzalo (18th), and Lucas Bouquot (19th) all cracked the top 20.

• Zach Trotter closed the scoring card with a career-best 26:08.2.

• The men’s team placed 3rd overall with 113 points.

📌 Why It Matters
The Noles showcased both young talent and returning depth on their home course, setting the tone for their upcoming trip to Chicago for the Sean Earl Loyola Lakefront Invite on Oct. 3.

👉 Full XC results and next meet details here

🏊‍♂️ Seminoles Dominate Day 1 of FSU Invite 🏊‍♀️

Florida State swimming and diving opened the 2025–26 season in emphatic fashion Friday night at the Morcom Aquatics Center, winning 16 of 22 events and sweeping multiple podiums. Both the men (185 pts) and women (175 pts) sit comfortably atop the standings heading into Saturday’s final session.

🔥 Standout Performances

• Relays: FSU swept all four relays, including a women’s 200 medley win by nearly four seconds.

• Divers: Posted 1–2–3 finishes on both boards, led by Evelyn Hall (282.35) and Noah Turner (282.15).

• Logan Robinson (So.): Won the 100 butterfly (46.70) and 100 IM (49.40).

• Martina Fanunza (Fr.): Sparked her collegiate debut with wins in the 50 & 200 breaststroke plus a relay crown.

• Maryn McDade (So.): Claimed three victories — one individual, two relays.

• Michel Arkhangelsky (So.): Opened his ACC title defense with a blazing 19.54 win in the 50 free.

📌 Why It Matters
With depth across veterans and freshmen, the Seminoles showed early dominance in both pool and boards — setting the tone for what could be a special season.

👉 Full Day 2 schedule & live results here

🏐 Noles Hand Clemson Its First Loss 🏐

Florida State volleyball (7–3, 1–0 ACC) opened league play in statement fashion, knocking off previously undefeated Clemson (12–1) in four sets Friday night at Jervey Gym. The win extends FSU’s dominance over the Tigers to 20 straight victories dating back to 2010.

🔥 Set Breakdown

• Set 1: Back-and-forth until late, FSU closed on a 5–1 run to win 25–20.

• Set 2: Noles dominated with a .429 hitting percentage, cruising 25–13.

• Set 3: Clemson responded, slowing the FSU attack to take it 25–21.

• Set 4: After falling behind 8–4, FSU stormed back with a 7–0 run and sealed the match 25–20.

🌟 Star Performances

• Iane Henke (Sr.): Career-high 20 kills, leading the charge.

• Kyleene Filimaua (Jr.): 17 kills on .432 hitting, continuing her hot start.

• Lexie Mason (So.): Breakout career-high 8 kills.

• Nenu Kpea & Delaney Ewing: 8 kills each, plus 8 combined blocks.

• Lily Nicholson (Jr.): Season-best 29 assists and 15 digs.

📌 Why It Matters
FSU opened ACC play by taking down one of the hottest teams in the country on their home floor, proving they’re ready to contend.

👉 Next up: Georgia Tech on Sunday (1 p.m., ACCNX).

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🏈 Noles Fall in Double OT at Virginia 🏈

Florida State (3–1, 0–1 ACC) suffered its first loss of the season in a 46–38 double-overtime heartbreaker Friday night at Scott Stadium. Despite 514 yards of offense and three separate comebacks, the Seminoles couldn’t finish, falling in their ACC opener on the road.

🔥 How It Happened

• Early Hole: FSU trailed 14–0 after a fumble and interception set up UVA scores.

• Turnaround: Three straight touchdowns — Sawchuk run, Pittman rush, Castellanos run — gave FSU a 21–14 lead.

• Back-and-Forth: Virginia tied it before halftime, then both teams traded scores throughout the second half.

• Late Drama: With 36 seconds left, Tommy Castellanos hit Randy Pittman Jr. on 4th-and-11 for the game-tying TD (35–35).

• Overtime: Both sides traded field goals in the first OT. UVA punched in a 4-yard TD and two-point try in the second OT, and Castellanos’ desperation throw was picked in the end zone.

📊 By the Numbers

• Tommy Castellanos: 18–32, 254 yds, 1 TD; 78 rush yds, 1 TD.

• Duce Robinson: 9 rec, 147 yds, 1 TD.

• Gavin Sawchuk: 74 rush yds, 1 TD.

• Randy Pittman Jr.: TD pass, rush TD, receiving TD.

• Defense: 3 INTs (Rawls, Herring, Joseph), 2 sacks (both by S Ashlynd Barker).

• UVA playmakers: WR Trell Harris, RB J’Mari Taylor (26-yd TD + punishing runs), RB Xavier Brown (7 YPC + go-ahead TD).

📉 Issues Exposed

• Defensive Front: FSU generated no consistent pass rush, allowing UVA’s patchwork OL to win trench battles. Virginia strung together long drives (including 16 plays/8 minutes) and averaged 4.7 YPC.

• Composure & Mistakes: Costly fumbles, penalties, and a missed FG loomed large. Norvell noted his team “has to play cleaner football” after multiple self-inflicted errors.

• Situational Defense: UVA converted 9-of-15 third/fourth downs, including two gutsy 4th-down calls late.

💡 Why It Matters
The Alabama upset showcased FSU as the aggressor. At UVA, the Noles were out-physicaled and sloppy — a reality check before Miami comes to Doak next Saturday. This team has shown its ceiling, but also its floor. The response against a rival with a dominant OL will say everything about where Norvell’s group is headed.

👉 Next up: Miami at FSU, Oct. 4 (7:30 p.m., ABC)

Read more here and here and here

And that’s a wrap!

A weekend of highs and lows for the Noles — XC debuts, swimming domination, volleyball’s statement win… and football’s double-overtime heartbreak at UVA. Now all eyes turn to Doak next Saturday for Miami, where FSU has the chance to bounce back and reset the tone.

See you tomorrow,
— The Chief Brief Team