Miami Hosts Wake Forest, Duke in Regular Season Finale
Nov. 22, 2005
CORAL GABLES, <?xml:namespace prefix=”st1″ ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags”?>Fla. – The University of Miami volleyball team will host WakeForest and Duke this week to close-out the regular season. The Hurricanes will take on the Demon Deacons at 4:00 p.m. Wednesday before they square off against the Blue Devils at 1:00 p.m. Friday in their regular season finale. Both matches will be played in the Knight Sports Complex. <?xml:namespace prefix=”o” ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office”?>
The Hurricanes, who went 2-0 last weekend after defeating North Carolina (3-2) and NC State (3-1), improved to 15-13 overall and 10-10 in Atlantic Coast Conference play.
Over the weekend, senior Karla Johnson became Miami’s all-time career kills leader. Johnson is ranked 12th in the nation and first in the ACC with a 5.14 kills per game average. She is also ranked eighth in the ACC with 0.33 service aces a game.
Johnson, alongside fellow senior Kaitlin Kozak, will close their careers against Duke on Friday.
Redshirt junior Francheska Savage is likewise having a career year. Currently, she is ranked seventh in the ACC in both hitting percentage (.298) and kills per game (3.97).
Junior Jill Robinson is also among the ACC leaders. Miami’s all-time assists leader is ranked second in with 12.53 assists per game.
Defensively, Miami is led by redshirt sophomore Ciara Michel who is sixth in the ACC with 1.24 blocks per game. Junior Ann Gallo is averaging a team-best 3.74 digs per game.
As a team, Miami is fourth in the ACC in blocks (2.79pg), kills (15.82pg) and assists (14.49pg).
Scouting WakeForest…
Wake Forest heads into Coral Gables in a three-way tie for third, next to Miami and FloridaState, in the ACC Standings with a 10-10 conference mark and 17-12 record overall. The Demon Deacons lost their previous two matches, to Duke and Virginia, before completing a three-game sweep over Virginia Tech last Saturday.
Leading the way for WakeForest is Lauren Paterson and Jessica Furlong who are averaging 3.09 and 3.43 kills per game, respectively. Erin Borhart is dishing out a team-best 10.75 assists per game. Defensively, Natasha Schaefer has tallies 3.94 digs per game while Christy Williams averages 1.06 blocks per game.
As a team, the Demon Deacons are hitting .220 while holding opponents to a .207 hitting percentage.
In their last meeting, the Hurricanes fell to the Demon Deacons in five-games on Oct. 22. The all-time series between the two schools is tied at 1-1.
Scouting Duke…
The Blue Devils will travel south for their final regular season match after they face FloridaState on Wednesday. Duke begins the week in third place in the ACC with a 15-5 record and a 21-7 overall mark. The Blue Devils are currently on a six-match winning streak and have won 11 of their past 14 matches. Their last loss came at the hands of North Carolina on Oct. 27.
Duke picked up a 3-1 victory over Miami on Oct. 21. The Blue Devils lead the all-time series, 2-1.
The Blue Devils are led by Jourdan Norman and Ali Hausfeld. Norman sits atop the ACC with 1.65 blocks per game while Hausfeld leads the league with 13.47 assists per game. Carrie DeMange leads the offensive attack with 4.28 kills per game which ranks fifth in the ACC. Sam Fisher is fourth with a .322 hitting percentage. Jenny Shull is second in the ACC with a 5.32 digs per game average.
As a team, Duke leads the ACC in kills (16.76pg), assists (15.53pg) and digs (20.06pg). The Blue Devils are holding their opponents to a .172 hitting percentage and 14.9 kills per game.
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Fans can follow both matches live on the web through live scoring on www.hurricanesports.com.
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.
