Miami Volleyball Set to Host Hurricane Invitational
Sept. 7, 2011
Hurricane Invitational Match Notes 
Coral Gables, Fla. – The University of Miami volleyball team will participate in its first home matches of the year this week, welcoming Auburn, Florida A&M and Oklahoma to the James L. Knight Sports Center for the annual Hurricane Invitational.
Miami enters the tournament unbeaten at 6-0 and is the reigning Hurricane Invitational champion. It is the first time since 2008 that UM has started the year 6-0. That same year, the Canes began the year 13-0 with three regular season tournament titles.
The tournament website will feature live video for all matches provided by Canes All-Access, as well as live stats by Game Tracker. The website can be accessed by clicking here.
Dating back to 2001, the Hurricanes are 24-5 all-time in the Hurricane Invitational, and have won three of the last four titles.
The Hurricanes continued to earn votes in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll Top 25 this week. The Canes just missed out on the Top 25, coming in this week at No. 26. UMiami is ranked No. 25 in the Rich Kern poll. If the University of Miami can collect three wins this weekend, including a win over 18th-ranked Oklahoma, the Hurricanes could jump into the AVCA Top 25 poll for the first time since 2002.
The University of Miami is excited to announce a new season ticket package that will include two (2) adult and three (3) youth tickets to all home volleyball and soccer events in the 2011 season. The Family Plan provides a family of five with over 20 events for the incredible price of $50. Purchase a Volleyball and Soccer Family Plan by calling 1-800-GO-CANES or simply buy online by clicking here.
For more information on the University of Miami volleyball team, please log on to HurricaneSports.com. Once there, you will find up-to-date news, stats and information regarding the Hurricanes volleyball program.
Fans can keep up-to-date with all UM Athletics via twitter at Twitter.com/HurricaneSports. You can also become a fan of the Canes on Facebook at Facebook.com/MiamiHurricanes.
Scouting Florida A&M
The Florida A&M Rattlers enter the Hurricane Invitational with an overall record of 0-4. They come in having won only one set this season against Jacksonville University. The Rattlers are led by Katherine Huanec and her 41 kills on the campaign. Maria Ceccarelli has also played well with 33 kills.
Series against the Rattlers
FAMU leads the all-time series against the Canes by a count of 3-0. The last time these two teams met was back on Sept. 15, 2006 with the Rattlers claiming a tough 3-2 decision.
Scouting Auburn
The Tigers currently have a record of 5-2 on the year and are led by senior Kelly Fidero who has a team-leading 70 kills – 46 of them coming last weekend at the Blue Raider Bash hosted by Middle Tennessee State. Sophomore Camila Jersonsky was also named to the Blue Raider Bash All-Tournament Team with a .493 hitting percentage.
Series against the Tigers
Miami holds a 3-0 record all-time against Auburn, including a sweep of the Tigers last year in the Blue Raider Bash Tournament hosted by Middle Tennessee State University.
Scouting Oklahoma
Oklahoma is currently ranked No. 18 in the AVCA Coaches Poll Top 25. The Sooners currently have a record of 6-1, with their lone loss coming against Cincinnati. They are led by the trio of Brianne Barker, Sallie McLaurin, and Suzy Boulavsky who were all named to the Preseason All-Big 12 Team. Barker and Boulavsky earned all-tournament team honors already this year at the North Texas Invitational. McLaurin has also been named the most valuable player of the Nike Invitational.
Series against the Sooners
The University of Oklahoma leads the series against the University of Miami by a 2-1 count. The Sooners took the last match-up with the Hurricanes in four sets a season ago in the championship match of the Sooner Legends/Nike Invitational hosted by OU.
Lane Carico Wins ACC Player of the Week
Lane Carico was named this week’s Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Week after turning in 3.10 kills per set and 5.00 digs per set in three matches. On the year, Carico owns three double-doubles and ranks third on the team with 53 kills (2.52 k/s). She is second on the squad in digs (88) and fourth in blocks (11).
Carico Takes Top Honors
Senior All-America outside hitter Lane Carico finished as the top offensive performer at the Pepperdine Asics Classic last weekend. She was named the Tournament MVP after helping Miami to the tournament title. It is the fourth-straight regular season tournament title for the Canes.
Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award
Senior outside hitter Lane Carico is one of 30 women’s volleyball student-athletes from around the nation to be named a candidate for the 2011 Lowe’s Senior CLASS award. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition.
Lantagne Welch Chasing 200
Head coach Nicole Lantagne Welch now has 198 career wins at UMiami. She needs just two more to reach the 200 plateau.
Marketing for the Hurricane Invite
On Friday, UMiami will face the Auburn Tigers at 7 p.m. Fans will be able to enjoy a great environment because it is also “Spirit Group Appreciation Night”. Fan favorite spirit groups will all be in attendance, including the Cheer group, Sunsations, Band of the Hour, Sebastian and other mascots. There will also be an intermission performance by the Prymus Angels.
To close out the weekend, Miami will go up against nationally ranked Oklahoma. There will also be a Student Tailgate for fans to enjoy before the match.
Can U Dig It
Throughout the season, HurricaneSports.com will be running a series of Q&A’s with all student-athletes from the volleyball team. In addition to the website, a student-athlete will be featured in each home match program throughout the season.
Live Stats
Live stats for all home matches and most road games will be available on HurricaneSports.com to both media and fans. Click the Game Tracker logo on the website to see play-by-play, player/team stats and much more.
<a href=”http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=668166d1af” mce_href=”http://www.coveritlive.com/mobile.php/option=com_mobile/task=viewaltcast/altcast_code=668166d1af” >Volleyball: Miami vs. Florida A&M</a>
