@CanesVB Hosting No. 13 Duke and Wake Forest
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami volleyball team returns to the court for a pair of important ACC matches this weekend at the Knight Sports Complex.
The Canes (16-10, 9-7 ACC) will host No. 13 Duke and Wake Forest in the second of three consecutive home weeks to close out the 2013 regular season. The match against No. 13 Duke is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 22 at 7 p.m., while the Wake Forest match is schedule for 1 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 24.
Miami dropped road matches at Duke and Wake Forest earlier this season, but the Canes are ready to protect their home court. The Hurricanes are 6-2 in the Knight Sports Complex this season.
Savanah Leaf leads a Miami attack that ranks fifth in the ACC with 13.44 kills/set. Leaf, who has 385 kills on the season, ranks third in the ACC with 3.83 kills/set. The junior is also effective with her serve, ranking second in the conference with 0.35 aces/set.
Emani Sims has also been active at the net for Miami. The junior middle blocker is Miami’s most efficient hitter, ranking fourth in the ACC with a .340 hitting percentage. Sims also pays a big role defensively. Her 127 blocks lead the Canes while her 1.29 blocks/set are fourth-best in the ACC.
Senior Alex Johnson plays a key role for Miami in a variety of ways. The right side hitter is second on the team in kills (258), aces (30) and digs (264). Johnson, who ranks fourth in blocks with 69, is a valuable leader and an effective player for Miami.
Fellow senior Ryan Shaffer anchors Miami’s back row defense. Shaffer enters the weekend as Miami’s all-time career digs leader. The defensive specialist passed Cassie Loessberg’s 2,008 digs in last Friday’s victory over Notre Dame. Shaffer, who ranks third in the ACC with 4.49 digs/set, will look to add to her total of 2,017 while helping Miami against a pair of talented ACC opponents.
Setters Blair Fuentez and Caitilin Donahoe pace Miami’s offense. Fuentez ranks fourth in the ACC with 9.94 assists/set, while Donahoe turned in a 64-assist performance earlier this season against Long Beach State.
Middle blocker Alexis Mourning and outside hitter Misty Ma’a round out Miami’s starters and both play key roles for the Canes. Mourning ranks second on the team in attack percentage (.338) and blocks (108), while Ma’a is coming off a productive weekend in which she recorded a pair of double-doubles against ACC rivals Florida State and Notre Dame.
Following this weekend’s matches, Miami will host its final two home matches of the season. The Canes will welcome Georgia Tech on Wed., Nov. 27 at 7 p.m. Two days later, Miami will honor seniors Johnson, Shaffer and Julia Giampaolo prior to the 7 p.m. match against Clemson.
Single-game volleyball tickets are just $5 for adults and $3 for youth (Ages 3-17). For more information or to purchase tickets, visit CanesTix.com or call 305-284-2263. For all the latest information on Miami Hurricanes volleyball, follow the official Twitter feed, @CanesVB, or “Like Us” on Facebook at facebook.com/UMVolleyball. The program is also on Instagram (CanesVB).
