Hokies Upset UM
Oct. 26, 2002
BLACKSBURGH, Va. (www.hurricanesports.com) – – The Virginia Tech volleyball team withstood a superior offensive performance by Hurricane outside hitter Valeria Tipiana (Lima, Peru/Cristo Rey Catholic HS) to upset Miami in three games Saturday night in Blacksburg, Va.
“We were just flat and we were never able to pull ourselves out of it,” Miami coach Nicole Lantagne Welch said. “Virginia Tech played like they wanted it more.
“We lost to a very good Virginia Tech team, but we didn’t play close to the level of volleyball that we’re capable of playing at.”
Tipiana led with a match high 18 kills and a .424 hitting percentage, while the Hokies relied on solid contributions from a number of different players including Ana Lang (15 kills), Ann Spicer (16 kills), and Cheryl Stinson (11 kills). Virginia Tech took the three matches by scores of 30-28, 30-24, 30-25.
Middle blocker Karla Johnson (Houston, Texas/Westfield HS) was second on the Hurricanes in offense with 11 kills and a match high .474 hitting percentage.
Libero player Jamie Grass (Manhattan Beach, Calif./Mira Costa HS) led the Hurricanes defensively with 13 digs, while setter Mallorey James (Tucson, Ariz./Salpointe Catholic HS) chipped in with 41 assists.
The Hurricanes will look to bounce back Tuesday night when they travel to Boca Raton to face Florida Atlantic in the Owls’ facility.
For more information on University of Miami athletics log on to its website www.hurricanesports.com, the official site for all Hurricane news, tickets, and apparel. For Hurricane ticket information call 1-800-GO CANES.
