Hurricanes Sweep Demon Deacons
Nov. 23, 2005
CORAL GABLES, <?xml:namespace prefix=”st1″ ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags”?>Fla. – The University of Miami volleyball team swept visiting WakeForest, 3-0 (30-23, 30-26, 30-19) in Atlantic Coast Conference action Wednesday afternoon at the Knight Sports Complex. With the win, the Hurricanes improve to 16-13, 11-10 ACC while the Demon Deacons fall to 17-13, 10-11 ACC. <?xml:namespace prefix=”o” ns=”urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office”?>
The Hurricanes, who have won three-straight matches and six of their last nine, avenged a five game loss at WakeForest earlier in the season.
“We lost a tight match to them up there, “said head coach Nicole Lantagne Welch. “This time we came out firing on all cylinders from start to finish. Last time we took a while to get going but we really started out strong this match.”
“We had a team pursuit defensively and posted some big blocks to create some separation,” added Lantagne Welch.
As a team, the Hurricanes out-hit the Demon Deacons .131 to .250 and out-blocked them 10.0 to 7.0.
Senior Karla Johnson and redshirt junior Francheska Savage paced the Hurricanes, each knocking down 17 and 12 kills, respectively. Savage registered a match-high .579 hitting percentage.
Junior Sara Duncan contributed nine kills of her own while classmate Jill Robinson dished out 40 assists and posted four total blocks (1BS, 3BA).
Defensively, junior Ann Gallo led all players with 19 digs as freshman Angelica Ellis posted a match-high six block assists.
“Sara was outstanding for us attacking,” noted Lantagne Welch. “Francheska was also very effective in getting the ball and putting it away for us.”
The Hurricanes took control early in game one thanks to a .250 hitting percentage and 6-for-7 hitting by Savage. With the Hurricanes leading 18-11, the Demon Deacons tallied four-straight points to pull to within four but could not get any closer as the Hurricanes ran way with a 30-23 victory.
Game two saw WakeForest jump ahead to a 13-10 lead before Miami registered five-consecutive points to pull ahead 15-14. The Demon Deacons managed to tie the score at 16-all but the Hurricanes answered with a six point run where they capitalized on five Wake Forest errors to take a 21-16 lead. Though WakeForest notched three points with Miami at game point, the Hurricanes managed to hold the Demon Deacons off to claim the win, 30-26.
Game three was all Miami as the Hurricanes led by as many as nine points and hit .400 in the game. Miami used an 11-1 run to build its lead until finally running away with a 30-19 win and the match victory.
Jessica Furlong led WakeForest with 11 kills while Klarysa Henry and Natasha Schaefer tallied 16 and 11 digs, respectively.
The Hurricanes return to action Friday for their final regular season match against Duke. Match time is set for 1:00 p.m. in the Knight Sports Complex. Prior to the match, the Hurricanes will honor senior captains Kaitlin Kozak and Karla Johnson who will be playing their final home match of their careers.
