Canes Open ACC Play Against No. 6 FSU
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miamivolleyball team will open Atlantic Coast Conference play against rival No. 6Florida State on Friday at 7:30 p.m. inside the Knight Sports Complex. It willbe the seventh-straight year that the teams will meet to open league play.
Thefirst 500 fans in attendance will received a UM rally towel, as the Canes havewon nine straight at home and 20 of the last 21 matches inside the KnightSports Complex.
“It is ahuge rivalry between UM and FSU and both teams are going to be fired up andready to play on Friday,” head coach Nicole Lantagne Welch said. “The match isalways played at a high level and our team is looking forward to getting outthere.”
ESPNUwill provide a live national broadcast of the match, with Pam Ward onplay-by-play and Kelli Tennant adding analysis. It will be the first time inthe history of UM volleyball that the ESPN family of networks has aired theprogram in Coral Gables, as it will also be simulcast online at ESPN3.com. KyleSielaff and Neil Dwyer will call the match on the radio for WVUM on 90.5 FM andwvum.org.
“The ACCin general is getting more volleyball coverage and I think that’s great,”Lantagne Welch said. “We had a televised match last year and to follow it upwith a home ESPNU match says a lot about what the program has been able to doto gain exposure.”
TheHurricanes (6-1) come into the match after winning two of three at the RedbirdClassic at Illinois State last weekend. Juniors Taylor Hollins (43 kills, 37digs) and Ryan Shaffer (65 digs) each earned all-tournament honors afterposting impressive statistics.
TheSeminoles (6-0) have taken the championship in both tournaments they haveplayed to start the year. Senior outside hitter Fatma Yildirim leads the teamwith 54 kills and 47 digs.
In thelast meeting between the rivals, No. 25 Miami won 3-1 over No. 21 FSU behind 29kills from Lane Carico in front of a record crowd of 1,071 fans at the Knight SportsComplex on Nov. 26, 2011.
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.
For all the latest information on the MiamiHurricanes, follow the official Twitter feed, @HurricaneSports, or “Like Us” onFacebook at facebook.com/MiamiHurricanes. Follow @CanesVB on Twitter forspecific news on UM volleyball.
