UM Volleyball To Host Hurricane Invitational

CORAL GABLES, Fla. — The University of Miami volleyball team will open the 2012 season with four matches in the Hurricane Invitational on Aug. 24-25 at the James L. Knight Sports Complex. A total of eight matches will be played in the event, with Ole Miss, Samford, Rutgers and Wofford taking part in the season-opening tournament.

“It is great to start at home, especially since it is the first week of classes and everyone is adjusting to a new routine on campus,” said head coach Nicole Lantagne Welch, who is entering her 12th season at the helm of the program. “It is nice that we don’t have to worry about traveling right away and it is great to get that excitement on campus. We hope to get a good turnout and are excited to get on the court to start the season.”

UM will take on Wofford (12:30 p.m.) and Ole Miss (7 p.m.) on Friday, with matches against Rutgers (1 p.m.) and Samford (7 p.m.) on Saturday. A full schedule for the Hurricane Invitational and links to live video and stats are available here. Additionally, WVUM will carry the Canes’ matches at 90.5-FM and online at wvum.org.

MIAMI SEASON PREVIEW

The Hurricanes, who are receiving votes in the Preseason AVCA Division I Coaches Poll, return 10 letterwinners, including three starters and the libero, from a team that went 26-5 with a 16-4 mark in the Atlantic Coast Conference a season ago. Miami qualified for the NCAA Tournament for the third-straight season, defeating Northern Illinois to advance to the Second Round of the Ames Regional.

“Although many outsiders see that we have lost several starters from our team a year ago, we know that our current team is strong, has depth, and we have very capable players ready to step in and have a strong season. Every position is a battle right now and this team has a lot of depth, which will really help us.”

The Canes were predicted to finish fifth in the ACC in a preseason vote of the league’s head coaches.

The 2012 schedule is expected to be challenging once again with nine matches against teams that made last season’s NCAA Tournament and 20 contests within the ACC. After hosting the Hurricane Invitational, UM will take part in two other weekend tournaments at Illinois State and Louisville.

“Tournaments are great a great chance to showcase yourself nationally in comparison to other conferences,” Lantagne Welch continued. “It becomes an important factor in earning bids into the NCAA Tournament. We need to take care of business and treat every match with the utmost importance.”

The first home conference match will take place against Florida State in a contest that will be televised nationally on ESPNU. Overall, there will be nine home league matches and nine on the road. Lantagne Welch commented on the how the competiveness of the ACC has risen in recent years.

“Over the last few years the ACC has really taken a step up,” she remarked. “There are a lot of strong players in our conference. There are a lot of seniors on the Preseason All-ACC Team so you can tell there are a lot of returning impact players around the league. Many freshman classes were ranked, so there is a lot of great young talent around as well. Every match matters and you have to be on top of your game each match to win in the ACC.”

UM had two players earn nods on the Preseason All-ACC team, with junior Alex Johnson and sophomore Emani Sims selected. Johnson, who has started every match of her career, led all returning players with 390 kills a season ago while also recording 108 assists and 340 digs. Sims emerged in her rookie season with 105 blocks in the middle, finishing with the ninth-best hitting percentage in the ACC (.316).

Johnson, along with senior Nrithya Sundararaman and junior Taylor Hollins, have been named team captains for the season.

“All three are new to this role but they have been embracing it and we hope they will continue to develop and grow to help lead our team on and off the court,” Lantagne Welch said.

In addition to the experienced returning talent on the roster, the program is excited to see the impact of the five newcomers on the team. The recruiting class was ranked No. 27 in the nation according to PrepVolleyball.com and features four freshmen and one transfer. The transfer, Savanah Leaf, joins UM after spending her summer competing for Great Britain at the Olympics in London.

“The newcomers are a very hard-working group and are very serious about volleyball,” Lantagne Welch pointed out. “They all came in ready to go and are pushing for spots at all positions. We are excited about seeing what they can do this season and how they develop throughout the year.”

In addition to the home FSU match, the Hurricanes were selected for six other broadcast matches by ACC rights-holders. UM was chosen more than any other program in the league.

SCOUTING THE HURRICANE INVITATIONAL

Ole Miss
2011 Record: 11-17, 7-13 Southeastern Conference
Head Coach: Joe Getzin (11th year)
Series vs. UM: Miami leads, 8-2
Last Time vs. UM: Miami won, 2-1 (Oct. 9, 1981 at Tallahassee, Fla.)
First Time vs. UM: Ole Miss won, 2-0 (Nov. 1, 1975 at Jacksonville, Fla.)

• UM and Ole Miss will meet for the first time since 1981, the last year of Miami volleyball before a 19-year hiatus
• The team returns nine letterwinners from last season, with five true freshman on the roster
• Senior Allegra Wells led the team with 290 kills in 2011

Rutgers
2011 Record: 10-21, 3-11 BIG EAST Conference
Head Coach: Jeff “CJ” Werneke (Fifth year)
Series vs. UM: Miami leads, 3-1
Last Time vs. UM: Miami won, 3-1 (Sept. 28, 2003 at New Brunswick, N.J.)
First Time vs. UM: Miami won, 2-0 (Oct. 17, 1980 at Cincinnati, Ohio)

• UM and RU met twice as members of the BIG EAST (2002, 03)
• The Scarlet Knights have 12 newcomers on the roster
• Setter Stephanie Zielinski, who ranks fourth all-time in program history in assists, is from nearby Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
• Middle blocker Alex Jones tied for the highest hitting percentage in the BIG EAST last season (.383)
• RU ended 2011 by sweeping a home weekend against Connecticut and St. John’s

Samford
2011 Record: 29-5, 13-3 Southern Conference
Head Coach: Dex Schroeder (Fifth season)
Series vs. UM: 0-0
Last Time vs. UM: N/A
First Time vs. UM: N/A

• The Bulldogs are the defending SoCon Champions and advanced to the to the NCAA Tournament to play Cincinnati in the Tallahassee Regional
• The team return every starter from last year, only losing one player to graduation and adding one freshman
• Senior outside hitter Elizabeth Neisler was the 2011 SoCon Player of the Year and earned a spot on the AVCA South All-Region Team

Wofford
2011 Record: 14-19, 3-13 Southern Conference
Head Coach: Corey Helle (11th year)
Series vs. UM: Miami leads, 1-0
Last Time vs. UM: Miami won, 3-0 (Sept. 7, 2001 at Coral Gables, Fla.)
First Time vs. UM: Same

• This will be the Terriers’ second appearance in the Hurricane Invitational
• The team returns its entire starting lineup from a year ago, while welcoming seven newcomers
• Junior outside hitter Amanda Liguori led the team with 305 kills in 2011

The ticket office is pleased to offer season tickets for both volleyball and soccer for just $50. Season tickets to the home volleyball schedule at the Knight Complex can be purchased for $35, with single match tickets available for as low as $3. Call 1-800-GO-CANES to order your tickets today.

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