No. 21 Hurricanes Set for Two-Match Virginia Road Swing
Sept. 22, 2011
Miami vs. Virginia Tech & Virginia Match Notes 
Coral Gables, Fla. – The No. 21 University of Miami volleyball team gets back to the road this weekend, traveling to the Commonwealth State to face the Virginia Tech Hokies (Friday, Sept. 23) and Virginia Cavaliers (Sunday, Sept. 25). The match against the Hokies begins at 7 p.m., while the match against the Cavaliers begins at 12:30 p.m.
For the Hurricanes, this weekend marks their third consecutive ACC road contest of the year, and the fourth-straight dating back to the end of last season.
Miami (9-1, 0-1 ACC) enters the weekend ranked No. 21 in the AVCA Coaches Top 25 poll, and sits 19th in the Volleyball Magazine poll. The Canes started off the year hot at 9-0 with signature wins over 18th-ranked Oklahoma and at Pepperdine, before stumbling to Florida State last week in Tallahassee.
Senior outside hitter Lane Carico needs just 47 kills to pass Karla Johnson (2002-05) on the school’s all-time list. She also needs just 164 points to pass Johnson on the all-time list for points as well.
Redshirt senior setter Katie Gallagher is also chasing history, needing 627 assists to pass Jill Robinson (2003-06) for the top spot on the UMiami all-time list.
Live stats and video for the match against Virginia Tech can be found at HokieSports.com, while the Virginia match will have stats available at VirginiaSports.com.
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.
Tough Traditional Two-Match Stretch
For the Hurricanes, the upcoming stretch of matches at VTech and UVa has always been a tough stretch of contests. The Canes have not won at UVa since 2007, though not dropping both matches against VTech and UVa in the Commonwealth State since 2008.
Last year, Miami dropped its first match at Virginia before rebounding for a win at Va. Tech. A year prior, the Canes won against the Hokies before dropping the road finale at Virginia on a Halloween weekend.
Scouting Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech (8-4, 1-0 ACC) defeated rival Virginia in its ACC-opener by a 3-1 decision a week ago in Blacksburg. The Hokies are led by two players with 100-plus kills, sparked by outside hitter Cara Baarendse (115 / 2.61 per set). Behind her is Justine Record with 102 kills (2.62 k/s).
Setter Erin Leaser sets up the offense with 310 assists (7.05 a/s), while Morgan O’Neill (169 digs / 3.93 per set) and Record control the defense (122 digs / 3.13 per set). The middle is patrolled by Victoria Hamsher with a team-leading 63 blocks (1.43 per set) followed by Baarendse with 44 blocks (1.00 b/s).
Series against the Hokies
The Hurricanes hold a commanding 11-5 advantage in the all-time series against the Hokies. UMiami has won the last three meetings, and six of the last eight overall.
Scouting Virginia
The Virginia Cavaliers enter the weekend with a 6-5 overall record and a league mark of 0-1 after a loss at rival Virginia Tech last week. However, the Cavs do hold a 4-2 record at home.
Preseason All-ACC member Simone Asque leads the team in kills with 145 (3.82 k/s) and teammate Jessica O’Shoney also has over 100 kills with 110 (2.89 k/s). Beth Wildermuth is the setter for the Cavaliers with a team-leading 389 assists (10.24 a/s). Two players anchor the defense, led primarily by Emily Rottman with a team-best 174 digs (4.58 d/s). Rachel Clark has 100 digs (3.23 d/s) to assist as a defensive leader.
Series against the Cavaliers
Since joining the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2004, the University of Miami trails the all-time series against the University of Virginia by an 8-5 count. The two teams have split the season series the last two years with the home team winning on each occasion. UMiami has not won at Virginia since Sept. 21, 2007.
Miami on the National Stage
Last week’s ESPNU televised contest between Florida State and Miami in Tallahassee was the first nationally televised volleyball contest for the Hurricanes in school history. Miami will hold its next television match against Virginia Tech in Coral Gables on Oct. 30.
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.
What a Difference a Year Makes
Redshirt freshman middle blocker Emani Sims made a statement in her first-ever collegiate match versus Jacksonville State at the Tiger Classic. Sims registered a team-high tying eight kills in that match, followed by a match-high nine blocks (six assisted) against LSU in the title match.
Join the Discussion
One of the new features to the UMiami volleyball match day experience this season is a live chat through Cover It Live, where fans can interact with members of the Hurricanes’ Sports Media Relations Office and other fans, getting an in-depth look at the action and analysis of the games. Join the discussion at HurricaneSports.com.
Hurricanes on the Net
University of Miami volleyball matches this season will be broadcast live on HurricaneSports.com with video webcasts for every home match, courtesy of Hurricanes All-Access. All home matches will feature a live audio broadcast through WVUM–the student voice of all things UMiami.
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.
