'Canes Volleyball to Host Annual Alumni Match
Aug. 19, 2010
Coral Gables, Fla. – University of Miami head volleyball coach Nicole Lantagne Welch is proud to announce the Sixth Annual Alumni Match, taking place Sat., Aug., 21, at the James L. Knight Sports Complex on the UM Campus in Coral Gables, Fla. The event begins at 3 p.m., and admission is free.
UM fans will have their first chance to see the 2010 Miami Hurricanes volleyball team as they compete in an exhibition-style match against former players previously wearing the orange and green. The match will consist of five sets, even if one team has secured a victory in the best-of-five NCAA format.
“Any opportunity to bring our volleyball alumni back to campus to not only play again, but interact with our current team is always a special thing,” said Lantagne Welch. “We have had so many great players and people come through from my 10 seasons that have so much to share from their experiences.”
Scheduled to play for the alumni team are Tatiana Alvarez (2007-08), Maria Andersson (2007-09), Karla Johnson (2002-05), Jill Robinson (2003-06), Cassie Loessberg (2006-09) and Ashley Woods (2004-08).
Woods signed a professional volleyball contract back in January with Club Voleibol in Benidorm, Spain. Loessberg recently left Miami as the school’s all-time leader in digs (2,008), while finishing the 2009 season as an All-ACC selection, in addition to being an AVCA All-America honorable mention member. Andersson, completing her final year of eligibility in 2009, is sixth all-time at UM for career service aces (84), with Loessberg tops that category with 133. Andersson was also a member of the 2009-10 All-ACC Volleyball Academic Team. Jill Robinson still remains UM’s all-time leader in assists (4,937).
Coming off a season in which the `Canes finished tied for fifth in the ACC standings, earning a trip to the NCAA Tournament [Gainesville Regional], Miami is predicted to finish fourth in the 2010 preseason poll. Entering her 10th year as head coach of the Hurricanes volleyball program, Lantagne Welch returns nine letterwinners, including five starters, from a season in which the team finished 18-13 overall (11-9 ACC).
The 2010 season for the `Canes officially gets underway Aug. 27-28, when Miami travels to the Sooner Legends/Nike Invitational hosted by the University of Oklahoma. UM will open with UT-Arlington on Fri., Aug. 27, followed by a two-match schedule with Wichita State and Oklahoma the following day.
