Miami Set for Georgia Tech and Clemson Road Trip
Nov. 12, 2009
Complete Match Notes in PDF Format 
Coral Gables, Fla. – The University of Miami volleyball team will be making its final road trip of the 2009 campaign this weekend, as the Hurricanes travel to Georgia Tech (November 13) and Clemson (November 14) in a tough Atlantic Coast Conference swing.
In what is perennially its toughest road trip in the conference each season, Miami (15-10, 8-7 ACC) is looking for a chance to move up in the conference standings this weekend.
The Hurricanes come into the weekend sitting sixth in the Atlantic Coast Conference, while opponents Georgia Tech and Clemson are third and fourth, respectively. Miami will need a sweep this weekend in order to gain a share of fourth place. Ninth-year head coach Nicole Lantagne Welch is just one win shy of claiming her 80th ACC win.
Miami has never swept the road trip they are set to embark upon. In fact, the Hurricanes have never won at Clemson. The closest Miami has come to winning at Clemson was a 3-2 setback on Nov. 5, 2005. One day prior, the Hurricanes collected a 3-0 sweep of the Yellow Jackets in Atlanta.
Against ACC schools, sophomore outside hitter Lane Carico has staked a team-leading 280 kills, and classmate Christine Williamson has produced a second-best 128 kills.
Overall, Carico and senior libero Cassie Loessberg continue to lead the ACC in kills and digs. Carico has produced a league-best 411 kills on the campaign, averaging 4.42 kills per set. Meanwhile, Loessberg charges the UM defense with a league-leading 5.05 digs per set average (470 digs total). Freshman setter Nrithya Sundararaman is ninth in the ACC for assists with 701 (7.54 assists per set).
Both matches this weekend will feature live stats provided by Game Tracker through the UM athletics website at www.hurricanesports.com.
For more information on the University of Miami Volleyball team, please log on to www.hurricanesports.com. Once there, you will find up-to-date news, stats and information regarding the Hurricanes Volleyball program.
Quick Hits on Georgia Tech
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are under the direction of first-year head coach Tonya Johnson, who ultimately has them rolling with an 18-7 record, and an equally impressive 12-3 mark in the ACC, with one of those losses coming at the hands of the Hurricanes. Bailey Hunter leads the Yellow Jackets with 309 kills, while teammates Monique Mead (286) and Chrissy DeMichelis (275) follow just behind her, offensively. The setter for the Yellow Jackets is Mary Ashley Tippins, leading the charge with 1,063 assists, ranking her near the tops in the league in the assists category. The libero is Jordan McCullers with a team-best 372 digs.
Series against Georgia Tech
By virtue of Miami’s thrilling win in Coral Gables earlier this season, the series between the Yellow Jackets and Hurricanes is tied, 5-5. Last year, the `Canes swept the series against the Yellow Jackets for the first time ever, and it was just the second time they’ve collected back-to-back wins against the Yellow Jackets, the last coming in 2005 and 2006. In fact, Miami has now won the last three meetings between the two teams.
Quick Hits on Clemson
The Clemson Tigers come into the weekend sporting a 20-7 overall record, while holding a 10-5 mark in ACC play. The Tigers are led by Lia Proctor with 378 kills, followed by a trio of players above 200 kills–Natalie Patzin (260), Alexa Rand (207) and Sandra Adeleye (206). Setter Kelsey Murphy, ranked among tops in the league for assists, currently holding 1,067 (10.46 aps) on the year. The libero for the Tigers is Didem Ege with a team-leading 505 digs (4.95 dps).
Series against Clemson
Clemson leads the all-time series against the Hurricanes by a 9-3 margin. Until Miami’s 3-2 victory over the Tigers last year in Coral Gables, Clemson had previously rolled off six consecutive victories dating back to Sept. 30, 2005. Clemson took this year’s earlier meeting, 3-2, in an instant classic at Coral Gables.
Last Time vs. Georgia Tech (10/4/09)
Sophomore Lane Carico tallied a match-high 30 kills to help lead the University of Miami past visiting Georgia Tech, 3-2 (25-22, 24-26, 31-29, 25-27, 15-9). Miami was paced by Carico’s 30 kills, now giving her back-to-back matches with at least 30 kills. She becomes just the second player in UM history to eclipse 30 kills in two or more matches in her career, joining Karla Johnson in that feat. Carico also had 16 digs for her seventh double-double of the year–and her fifth consecutive. Sophomore Christine Williamson registered a career-high 14 kills and one solo block. Also hitting double-digits in kills was McGee with 12. McGee would add six blocks (five assists) in the process.
Last Time vs. Clemson (10/2/09)
Lane Carico established a new school record for kills (36) in a match as the University of Miami volleyball team dropped a 3-2 heartbreaker (25-23, 25-22, 21-25, 22-25, 13-15) to Clemson University. Miami was led by Carico’s record-setting performance of 36 kills and 17 digs. Also touching double-digits was Christine Williamson with a career-high 10 kills, while sophomore middle blocker Ali Becker posted 10 kills and four blocks (three assists) in the loss. Setter Nrithya Sundararaman produced the assists with a team and season-high 58, also tacking on seven digs. Libero Cassie Loessberg sparked the UM defense with a match-high 28 digs.
On These Dates in History
On these dates in history, the University of Miami holds an all-time record of 7-2. In matches played on Nov. 13, Miami is 2-1. The Hurricanes are a whopping 5-1 in matches played on Nov. 14. Never before in the history of UM volleyball have the `Canes played a match on Friday the 13th.
