`Canes Take Down `Noles in Volleyball Thriller

Nov. 26, 2010

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Three University of Miami volleyball players staked double-digit kills, led by Lane Carico with 21, helping the Hurricanes defeat homestanding Florida State, 3-2 (25-18, 25-17, 24-26, 22-25, 19-17) in ACC action on Fri., Nov. 26, at Tully Gym in Tallahassee, Fla. Miami (23-8, 13-7 Atlantic Coast Conference) entered the match looking to end the regular season in sole possession of third place in the league, with the winner of the day’s match claiming that honor – as both teams were 12-7 in the league rankings coming into the afternoon. The crowd of 1,022 was entertained by another classic in the history of these two schools. After taking the first two sets, Miami had to hold off a strong Florida State (20-10, 12-8 ACC) rally, with the Seminoles taking the third and fourth set, respectively. In the fifth set, Florida State took an early 3-1 lead behind a kill from Jekaterina Stepanova and a block from Ashley Neff. Neff ended the day with a match-high six blocks (three solo). Miami fell behind, 6-2, following blocks from Rachael Morgan and Taylor Wilson. FSU finished the day with 13 total blocks (20 assisted). UM ran off three consecutive points to rally behind two Ariell Cooke (Oakland, Calif.) kills and an FSU blocking error. The `Noles stayed calm and collected a block from teammates Marija Milosavljevic and Sareea Freeman to run the lead back to three, 8-5. The Hurricanes would take their first lead of the set with back-to-back kills from freshman Taylor Hollins (Long Beach, Calif.), giving UM a 10-9 advantage.		Box Score | Box Score (PDF) | Season Stats

  1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th Miami 25 25 24 22 19 Florida State 18 17 26 25 17

Team Stat Comparison
	UM	FSU
Kills	78	66
Errors	24	23
Total Attempts	190	196
Hitting Percentage	.284	.219
Assists	66	57
Service Aces	5	5
Digs	92	71
Block Assists	12	20
Block Solo	1	3
Points	90.0	84.0

The Seminoles served for match-point twice in the waning moments, only to see the `Canes get timely kills from junior outside hitter Lane Carico (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) and Hollins.

Miami served for match-point, 17-16, following a Hollins kill. She finished with three in the set.

FSU’s Stephanie Neville staked one of her two kills in the set to tie the set at 17, but it was three-time All-Atlantic Coast Conference Team selection Carico collecting one of her five kills in the frame to put UM ahead with the 18-17 lead. Appropriately, it was Carico who claimed the final kill of the match to give UM the 19-17 set and match victory.

With today’s win, Miami has rolled off seven wins in its last eight matches. The Hurricanes, owning the No. 24 RPI in the country, will now wait to see if they will earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, with the selection show set to be held on Sun., Nov. 28, at 3 p.m. The show will air live on ESPNews.

The Seminoles were led on the day by Visnja Djurdjevic with a match-high 25 kills, adding 16 digs and three assisted blocks. Stepanova claimed 16 kills and Freeman added 11. Setters Patricia Figueiredo (28 assists) and Duygu Duzceler (25 assists) setup the Seminoles attack, and libero Jenna Romanelli paced the defense with 26 digs.

UM was led offensively by Carico’s team-high 21 kills, adding 14 digs and two assisted blocks for her ACC-leading 25th double-double of the year. Cooke tagged a career-high 18 kills and hitting .517 in the match – also holding four blocks (three assisted). Middle blocker Ali Becker (Katy, Texas) collected 12 kills and three assisted blocks.

Redshirt junior setter Katie Gallagher (Winter Park, Fla.) picked up a double-double with a match-high 55 assists and 12 digs. She also posted six kills, while freshman libero Ryan Shaffer (San Jose, Calif.) pulled in a match-high 30 digs – her second 30-dig match of the season.

If selected to the NCAA Tournament, the `Canes will be making their second trip in as many years, and the third overall under head coach Nicole Lantagne Welch. Miami advanced to the Sweet 16 of the Tournament in 2002.

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.

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