Hurricanes Host ACC Foes Virgina and Virgina Tech This Weekend

Oct. 13, 2005

CORAL GABLES, <?xml:namespace prefix=”st1″ ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags”?>Fla. – The University of Miami volleyball team will host a pair of Atlantic Coast Conference matches against Virginia and Virginia Tech this weekend at the Knight Sports Complex. The Hurricanes will face the Cavaliers Friday at 7:00 p.m. before squaring off against the Hokies at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday. <?xml:namespace prefix=”o” ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office”?>

The Hurricanes (9-6, 4-3 ACC) return to the court after their 3-1 victory over rival FloridaState in Tallahassee on Tuesday. During the match, Miami had five different players post either double-digit kills or digs.

Karla Johnson’s 5.04 kills per game continues to lead the Hurricanes and the ACC. The senior outside hitter knocked down a match-high 24 kills to go with 15 digs against FSU. Johnson also leads Miami in solo blocks (19) and service aces (24).

Redshirt-junior Francheska Savage has remained one of Miami’s go-to attackers. She has tallied double-digit kill efforts in all but one match this season and registered a career-high 22 kills against FSU. Savage’s 0.95 blocks per game has also been a big contributor to Miami’s 2.70 blocks per game average, which is ranked fifth in the ACC.

Junior Jill Robinson runs Miami’s attack with 12.27 assists per game but the Merced, Calif. native has been significantly contributing defensively as she tallied a career-high 19 digs against North Carolina and a match-high 16 digs against FloridaState.

Defensively, junior Ann Gallo leads Miami with 3.64 digs per game, while redshirt-sophomore Ciara Michel leads the `Canes with 1.19 blocks per game.

As a team, the Hurricanes are averaging 15.6 kills per game and are hitting .209 as opposed to their opponents who are being held to a .197 attacking percentage.

Virginia enters the Knight Sports Complex with a 10-6 overall record and a 5-2 mark that places them fourth in the ACC. The Cavaliers are currently on a three-match win streak that includes victories over Virgina Tech, Duke and WakeForest.

Leading the way for Virginia is sophomore outside hitter Sarah Kirkwood who was named last week’s ACC Player of the Week. Kirkwood posted 62 kills (5.64 kpg) while hitting .410 to help lead the Cavaliers to three victories. For the season, Kirkwood has posted a team-high 252 kills (4.34 kpg) while hitting .315. Her 36 service aces also leads Virginia and the conference.

Defensively, the Cavaliers are led by Melissa Caldwell’s 3.72 digs per game and Katie Oakes’ 48 total blocks (10BS, 38BA).

As a team, the Cavaliers lead the ACC with 2.03 service aces per game, are second in hitting percentage (.249) and are ranked third in kills (15.55 kpg) and assists (14.26 apg).

Miami leads the all-time series with the Cavaliers, 2-0. The Hurricanes completed a 3-0 sweep over Vriginia in their last meeting in 2004.

Virginia Tech will travel to FloridaState before heading further south to Coral Gables for a Sunday afternoon match-up. After suffering a 3-0 loss to Virginia last week, the Hokies rebounded with a three game win over Wake Forest and a five game victory over Duke to improve to 9-7 overall and 4-3 in the ACC.

Sarah Munoz and Katie Esbrook carry most of the offensive weight for the Hokies. Munoz leads the team with 3.54 kills per game, while Esbrook is registering 3.48 kills per game. Esbrook is also Tech’s blocks per game leader (1.02).

Melissa Markowski and Amanda Cloyd are ranked second in the ACC in assists and digs, respectively. Markowski dishes out 12.55 assists per game while Cloyd tallies 4.73 digs per game.

The Hokies are ranked fourth in the ACC in assists (14.18) and digs (16.23). They are hitting .202 as a team with their opponents registering a slightly better .219 attacking percentage.

Miami leads the all-time series with the Hokies, 3-2. The two teams split two matches last season with Virginia Tech topping Miami 3-2 in Blacksburg before the Hurricanes swept the Hokies in Coral Gables.

Tickets are $5 dollars for adults and $3 dollars for children and senior citizens. For more ticket information please contact the Hurricane Ticket Office at 1-800-GO-CANES.

Fans can also follow the all the action on the web with live scoring on www.hurricanesports.com