Miami Volleyball Set To Face Virginia Tech At The BIG EAST Tournament

Nov. 22, 2002

Pittsburgh, Pa.- The University of Miami volleyball team will look to avenge a regular season loss to Virginia Tech as it faces the Hokies in the first round of the BIG EAST Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 3:30 p.m. at the Fitzgerald Field House in Pittsburgh, Pa.

The Hurricanes are seeded third in the tournament, while the Hokies are the second seed. Miami finished the regular season with a 24-4 overall record, 10-3 in conference play. Virginia Tech compiled an overall mark of 20-10, 10-3 in the BIG EAST.

Earlier in the season, the Hokies swept Miami 3-0 (30-28, 30-24, 30-25) at the Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Va. Virginia Tech withstood an impressive performance by sophomore outside hitter Valeria Tipiana, who led with a match-high 18 kills and a .424 hitting percentage. The Hokies found solid offensive contributions from several players, including Ana Lang (15 kills), Ann Spicer (16 kills), and Cheryl Stinson (11 kills).

In the other semifinal match, top-seeded Notre Dame will face fourth-seeded Connecticut on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 1 p.m. The winner of each opening-round match will meet in the championship title match on Sunday, Nov. 24 at 1 p.m. for the conference’s automatic NCAA Tournament berth.