Miami Upsets No. 18 Oklahoma for Tournament Title

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CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Lane Carico registered 19 kills and 16 digs to help the University of Miami volleyball team to a 3-1 upset victory over 18th-ranked University of Oklahoma in the championship match of the Hurricane Invitational on Saturday night at the James L. Knight Sports Complex.

Miami (9-0) defeated the Sooners on scores of 17-25, 25-17, 26-24 and 25-19 for its first victory over a ranked opponent since upsetting 15th-ranked Wisconsin on Dec. 7, 2002 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

En route to being named Tournament MVP, All-America outside hitter Lane Carico (Manhattan Beach, Calif.) was the impact player in tonight’s match with her fifth double-double of the year as she produced 19 kills and 16 digs.

However, it was the UM defense that highlighted the night. The Hurricanes out-dug the Sooners 90-78 and registered 72 kills against OU’s 55.

Oklahoma (9-2) took the first set, 25-17, behind four kills from Sallie McLaurin. She hit .667 in the set and the Sooners hit at a .419 clip, all while holding the Hurricanes to .278 hitting in the frame.

Miami stormed back in the second set to knot the match at a set apiece as the Canes defense limited the Sooners to just a .167 clip (14-7-42) while using four blocks from redshirt freshman Emani Sims (Glenview, Ill.) and three from Lane Carico (Manhattan Beach, Calif.). UM cruised late in the set for the 25-17 victory.

The all-important third set was back-and-forth until UMiami took advantage of consecutive OU attack errors to put the Canes up, 25-24. Sophomore Alex Johnson (Tallahassee, Fla.) registered the final point with an ace to allow the Canes to go up a set in the title match.

With the fourth set deadlocked at six, Oklahoma head coach Santiago Restrepo earned a red card that awarded UM a point. The Canes followed that with a kill from senior middle blocker Ali Becker (Katy, Texas) and a kill from senior setter Katie Gallagher (Winter Park, Fla.) to take a 10-8 lead. Miami never looked back from that point as it was fitting that Carico place the match’s final kill for the 25-19 win.

All-Tournament selection Suzy Boulavsky led the Sooners with 15 kills and added two blocks. McLaurin also touched double-figures with 13 kills, three digs and two blocks. All-Tournament Team selection Brianne Barker setup the offense with 41 assists.

While Carico’s 19-kill outing led the UM offense, All-Tournament selection Johnson finished with nine kills and a season-high 19 digs. Gallagher finished with a double-double of her own as she supplied 48 assists and 16 digs. Sophomore Taylor Hollins (Long Beach, Calif.) added four kills and a season-high 14 digs, while sophomore libero Ryan Shaffer (San Jose, Calif.) picked up 18 digs.

Box Score | Box Score (PDF) | Season Stats (PDF)

  1st 2nd 3rd 4th Oklahoma 25 17 24 19 Miami 17 25 26 25

Team Stat Comparison
  Miami Oklahoma
Kills 62 55
Errors 15 14
Total Attempts 169 170
Hitting Percentage .278 .241
Assists 60 51
Service Aces 5 5
Digs 90 78
Block Assists 14 6
Block Solo 0 3
Points 74.0 66.0
Miami Stat Leaders Oklahoma
L. Carico 19 Kills 15 S. Boulavsky
A. Becker .529 Pct. .462 S. McLaurin
K. Gallagher 48 Assists 41 B. Barker
A. Johnson 19 Digs 28 M. Fernanda
E. Sims 4 Blocks 2 Four Players

Miami has now won four of the last five Hurricane Invitational titles, including the last two.

The Canes return to the court Wednesday, Sept. 14 when they travel to in-state rival Florida State to open Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) play in a match televised nationally by ESPNU as part of their Wednesday Night Volleyball package.

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.

2011 Hurricane Invitational All-Tournament Team
Lane Carico – Miami (MVP)
Katie Gallagher – Miami
Alex Johnson – Miami
Suzy Boulavsky – Oklahoma
Brianne Barker – Oklahoma
Camila Jersonsky – Auburn
Maria Ceccarelli – Florida A&M