The Florida State volleyball team begins a new era on Friday.
Under new head coach Lindsay Allman, the Seminoles travel to Ft. Myers to open the season at the FGCU Invitational. After four seasons as an associate head coach at Florida State, Allman replaces Chris Poole, who has led the Seminoles since 2008.
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Allman will start her first season with a tough test, as the Seminoles will open the season against a ranked opponent for the first time since 2020.
Florida State will take on No. 24 BYU on Friday at 2 p.m. The Cougars finished 22-9 last season and entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 5 seed. This will be the sixth meeting between the two programs, and the first since the Sweet 16 in 2014.
The Seminoles will then face VCU on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Rams weathered the non-conference storm and went 12-6 in the A-10 to finish 16-13 last season. They were so close to reaching the NCAA Tournament but fell to Loyola Chicago in the A-10 Championship Game in a five-set thriller. Florida has not played VCU since 2021 but has won its previous three meetings against the Rams.
Finally, the Seminoles will conclude the season-opening showcase against the hosting Florida Gulf Coast Eagles on Sunday at 1 p.m. The Eagles dominated the Atlantic Sun last season with a 13-3 record but fell in the conference tournament quarterfinals to finish 19-9 and out of the Big Dance. The Seminoles have defeated the Eagles in both of their matchups against each other.
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Florida State has added some reinforcements from the transfer portal, starting with Maile Chan, a libero who spent her last two seasons at Wisconsin. The Seminoles also added Emma Lilo, who tallied over 1,100 assists in her two seasons at Oregon State. Callie Kieffer arrived at Tallahassee after amassing 1,280 assists, 43 aces and 354 digs over three seasons at Alabama.
The Seminoles will once again be led by Kyleene Filimaua, who recorded a team-high 443 kills and 42 aces while also adding 270 digs last season. She tallied 13 double-doubles last season and was ranked fifth in the ACC in total kills, as well as sixth in points per set.
The Seminoles will also expect more from Nenu Kpea after a very good freshman season. She played in all 117 sets and recorded 195 kills and 117 blocks in 2025.
Delaney Ewing was a dependable presence for the Seminoles last season, having played in every match while leading the squad with 121 blocks and also adding 143 kills.
Unlike the earlier matchups, Sunday’s match can be streamed on ESPN+.
