Hurricanes Open ACC Play Against In-State Rival Florida State
Sept. 23, 2004
Coral Gables, Fla. – The University of Miami volleyball team opens up their first ACC match of their inaugural season in their home opener against Florida State on Friday at 7:00 pm at the Knight Sports Complex.
The Hurricanes come off a solid 2-1 weekend at the Hurricane Ivan-Sugar Bowl Classic held at the campus of SMU in Dallas, Tex. where they rebounded from a tough five game loss to LSU with two three-game sweeps against SMU and Wisconsin-Milwaukee to improve to 4-3 overall.
“We feel good going into this match,” said head coach Nicole Lantagne Welch. “We’ve been looking forward to it for a long time. We came off two matches where we played very well and we’re ready to test the ACC waters.”
Miami currently sits 7th in the ACC with the team hitting a fourth-best .255. As a team the Hurricanes are ranked first in aces per game (2.00 apg), second in assists per game (14.81 pg), third in blocks (2.88 bpg) and kills (15.62 kpg). Their 0.88 aces per game also places Miami 30th in the nation.
Senior outside hitter Valeria Tipiana leads the conference and is ranked 5th in the nation in service aces (0.88 pg). Her 4.50 kills per game average places her fifth in the conference. Junior outside hitter Karla Johnson, sits close behind with 106 kills (4.08 kpg) and .317 attacking average.
Sophomore setter Jill Robinson will face Florida State after posting impressive numbers last weekend. The 5-8, Merced California native tallied 155 total assists for a 14.09 assists per game average. Robinson broke a personal match-high record with her 16 dig performance against LSU. She is also credited for helping the Hurricanes post a 17.18 kills per game average in their three matches.
“I’ve been impressed with the play of Jill Robinson who played her best match of the season against Milwaukee, “commented Lantagne Welch. “She made good sets which helped up post a high hitting percentage. I’m really excited about her progression.”
Florida State will face ACC rival Virginia Tech, hoping to improve on a 7-3 record before heading to Coral Gables. The Seminoles are currently ranked fifth in the ACC and most recently earned wins against Troy and Winthop in the FSU Classic last weekend.
The Seminoles are lead by senior middle blocker Amanda Santos who was ranked second in the ACC in hitting (.449) and sixth in blocks (1.36 bpg). She is also ranked sixth nationally in hitting.Sophomore setter Jessica Shower ranks fifth in the ACC in assists (12.09 apg). As a team the Seminoles are hitting .222 percent as a team.
While the Seminoles hold a 13-6-1 All-Time series lead over the Hurricanes they are 0-2 at Miami. Florida State holds a slight 1-2 edge since 2001. The Seminoles defeated the Hurricanes, 3-1, in their last meeting on September 19, 2004 at the FSU Classic in Tallahassee, Fla. Tipiana posted 16 kills and 13 digs for her second double-double performance of that weekend.
The first 100 Hurricane students attending the game will receive free pizza, courtesy of Category 5.
Don’t forget to stop by the main entrance and participate in the Hurricanes Warning promotion. One lucky fan will receive a collectible coin, commemorating the Hurricanes Inaugural season in the ACC.
All students presenting their `Cane Card will be admitted free. For more information on women’s volleyball and the 2004 season, log on to www.hurricanesports.com or call 305-284-CANES in Miami-Dade or toll free at 1-800-GO-CANES.
