Hollins Sparks Canes Past Oregon State, 3-1
NORMAL, Ill. – The University of Miamivolleyball team used a late rally in the second set and a career-high 20-killperformance from junior outside hitter Taylor Hollins to defeat Oregon StateUniversity, 3-1, on Friday in the opener of the Redbird Classic on the campusof Illinois State University. The Canes improved to 5-0 on the season and havenow won 22 straight non-conference regular season matches.
Miamiwon by the set scores of 25-23, 26-24, 19-25 and 25-23. Oregon State, a memberof the volleyball-rich Pac-12, fell to 2-2 on the early season.
“We are proud of our ability to gut out this win,” said head coach Nicole Lantagne Welch. “Oregon State had us out of sync at times – they are quite different from us – but we stayed with it and won the key points by playing aggressive.”
Hollins,who leads the team with 81 kills on the year, picked up her fourthdouble-double in five matches with 16 digs in an all-around effort. Junior right side Alex Johnson alsonotched a double-double with 17 digs and 11 kills, while junior libero RyanShaffer collected a team-high 28 digs.
“Taylor was big for us today, carrying us offensively and with her all-around play,” Lantagne Welch continued. “Ryan also had a great match. She dug a ton of balls and passed solid, especially in critical moments.”
The twoIllinois natives on Miami each made major contributions in the win. Seniorsetter Nrithya Sundararaman racked up 50 assists to lead the offense, whilesophomore middle blocker Emani Sims totaled nine kills and four block assists.
Down24-22 in the second set, the Canes fought back to win the next four points totake a 2-0 advantage in the match. Sophomore Savanah Leaf converted the finaltwo kills in the rally.
TheHurricanes took the first set with Johnson nailing down three kills in thefinal four UM points. After the Beavers responded to win the third frame, theCanes jumped out to a 16-10 lead the fourth and held on late to earn thevictory. A block by Leaf and Sims ended the match in favor of the orange andgreen.
TheHurricanes will return to Redbird Arena on Saturday to play matches againstIllinois State (11 a.m.) and Presbyterian (5:30 p.m.).
NOTES
Miamihas won the opening set in three of its five matches … head coach NicoleLantagne Welch has used the same starting lineup in all five matches … UM hasneeded more than 25 points to win a set twice this season … Miami converted18 kills in the second set … the Canes have won their last 11 neutral sitecontests … it was the first-ever match for Miami in the state of Illinois andthe first against Oregon State.
Theticket office is pleased to offer season tickets for both volleyball and soccerfor just $50. Season tickets to the home volleyball schedule at the KnightComplex can be purchased for $35, with single match tickets available for aslow as $3. Call 1-800-GO-CANES to order your tickets today.
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