Iane Henke’s 21 kills power FSU to 3-1 win over Syracuse
Florida State’s standout outside hitter Iane Henke notched 21 kills, powering the Seminoles to a 3-1 victory over Syracuse Friday. Charlie Hynes | Staff Photographer
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Since Syracuse head coach Bakeer Ganesharatnam arrived in 2022, Florida State has been one of the Orange’s kryptonites. SU is winless against the Seminoles in the last four matches, winning just a combined two sets.
But Syracuse’s contest with the Seminoles was strikingly different this year than in years past. Just a year ago, a straight-sets loss extended SU’s conference losing streak to eight and marked its 10th conference loss in the previous year.
Now, Ganesharatnam has a squad that encapsulates his vision of the program – one that plays with a chip on its shoulder and can compete in the nation’s toughest volleyball conference.
While the Orange were competitive against the Seminoles at times Friday, the match showed that SU isn’t capable of beating the Atlantic Coast Conference’s elite teams. Syracuse (13-8, 5-6 ACC) only won one set against Florida State (12-8, 6-5 ACC), as the Seminoles won 3-1 to notch their fourth straight ACC win. SU’s offensive inefficiency (17.4%) proved to be the difference.
“FSU is a historic program and has been doing really well,” Ganesharatnam said at media availability on Tuesday.
When watching the Seminoles’ offense, Iane Henke and Kyleene Filimaua stand out among the rest. Henke, a German native, ranks third in ACC play in kills per set (4.63) while Filimaua slots in at 10th with 3.73. There’s no question it’s one of the top outside hitter tandems in the country.
The matchup between FSU’s duo and Syracuse star Gabriella McLaughlin had the potential to be one of the best all season. In the first set, however, Henke and McLaughlin struggled to find a rhythm.
Instead, it was all Skylar George for the Orange, with the sophomore registering five first-set kills – nobody else recorded more than one kill. An ace that landed just inside the backline put Syracuse up 5-4. But SU’s advantage was short-lived, as Lexie Mason notched a kill from the left side to give FSU a 12-8 lead.
McLaughlin’s first kill didn’t come until 31 points into the match, when her attempt deflected off of Delaney Ewing for a point. Similarly, it took Henke 35 points to notch a kill when a ferocious swing from the back row hit off of George to put Florida State up 20-15.
From there, FSU continued to filter most of its offense through the middle, with Filimaui (three kills) the beneficiary. Ewing’s third kill gave the Seminoles a dominant 25-18 first-set victory.
“Coach talks a lot about the team benefit over your own benefit,” SU junior Sydnie Waller said Tuesday. “So whether that’s me on the court or (Marie Laurio) on the court, as long as the team is in the best position, I’m supportive of it.”
Waller’s midseason breakout has been a massive boost for Ganesharatnam’s squad. Her season-high 12 kills propelled the Orange to a 3-1 victory over Virginia Tech earlier in the year. On Friday, she opened the scoring in the second set with a shot that deflected off multiple FSU hands at the net and sailed past the end line.
But just like the first set, SU quickly lost its lead. Filimaua continued to torment the Orange from the middle, with a piercing attempt that landed at the feet of Rana Yamada to give the Seminoles an 11-10 lead.
Both teams continued trading points, but Henke, who notched eight kills in the second set, fired a shot that deflected off of Soana Lea’ea to put FSU two points away from going up 2-0 in the match. At set point, Henke did just that, firing it down the line to take the second set 25-23.
The third set was when the Orange began to find their footing, jumping out to a 3-0 advantage. Leading 8-4, Yamada fell to her knees multiple times for digs, with McLaughlin finishing the point with a kill.
Later in the set, three straight aces from McLaughlin gave Syracuse a comfortable lead it never relinquished, forcing a fourth set. After a slow start, McLaughlin (15 kills) began to establish herself.
But any possibility of a Syracuse comeback was quickly halted when Henke pushed a shot down the line that landed just inside the backline to put the Seminoles up 7-2. FSU continued to remain composed, and an ace from Henke landed just in front of the outstretched arms of George to extend its advantage to 10-3.
A Lily Nicholson ace put the Seminoles up 22-12, and Henke’s 21st kill of the night was the match point.
“(The success is) very rewarding, but we’re also not content or satisfied with where we are,” Waller said Tuesday. “We’re still hungry, and if anything, the success makes us more hungry because it’s like we see we have the capability to do it.”
