Miami Sweeps FAMU in Volleyball, 3-0

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Sophomore right side hitter Alex Johnson recorded a near double-double Thursday as the University of Miami kicked off the 2011 Hurricane Invitational with a 3-0 sweep over Florida A&M at the James L. Knight Sports Complex.

The Hurricanes cruised to a 25-13 win in the first set and never looked back, winning by scores of 25-18 in the second and 25-14 in the third to improve to 7-0 on the season.

Preseason All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection Katie Gallagher had a strong night setting up the offense, recording a match-high 30 assists to go along with four digs and two kills for UMiami.

Defensively, the Canes were sparked by sophomore libero Ryan Shaffer, who recorded a match-high 12 digs. The defensive specialist also chipped in on offense, finishing with a match- and career-high six service aces.

Ali Becker added 10 kills and four blocks for the Hurricanes.

Miami came out hot early-on, hitting .429 in the opening frame while limiting the Rattlers to just a .062 hitting percentage en route to a 25-13 win.

In the second set, Miami used three kills apiece from four different players, including redshirt freshman middle blocker Emani Sims and senior Christine Williamson, to score the win, 25-18. Freshman Alexis Mourning and Johnson were the other two players with three kills in the frame for the Hurricanes.

Huanec led FAMU (0-5) with nine kills while Maria Ceccarelli had seven kills for the match.

Miami continues play at the Hurricane Invitational tomorrow against Auburn at 7 p.m., while Florida A&M plays 18th-ranked Oklahoma in the first match of the day at 4 p.m.

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.