@CanesVB Heads to Syracuse & Boston College
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami volleyball team travels to the Northeast for a pair of matches against Syracuse and Boston College.
The Canes will face Syracuse on Friday at 7 p.m., while their match against Boston College will begin at noon on Sunday. Sophomore Kelsie Groot believes the Hurricanes need to carry the momentum from last weekend’s matches into their games against Syracuse and Boston College.
“I think we need to feed off last weekend,” Groot said. “We had a huge run against Florida State. We need to carry that momentum into our matches against Syracuse and Boston College.”
The Hurricanes went 1-1 a week ago, defeating Clemson in four sets and pushing then No. 5 Florida State to five sets in one of the most intense battles Miami has faced all season.
Groot played a key role for the Canes against the rival Seminoles, tallying eight kills and a team-high 25 digs. The redshirt sophomore from Irvine, Calif., also led the Hurricanes with three service aces against FSU.
Preseason All-ACC selections Savanah Leaf and Emani Sims will be counted on to lead the Canes on this road trip to the Northeast.
Leaf, who set a Miami record for kills in an ACC match with a career-high 30 against Florida State, leads the ACC and ranks 17th in the country with 4.47 kills/set. The senior also set the record for most kills by a Hurricane at the Knight Sports Complex and tied Karla Johnson for most kills by a Cane in a single match (9/3/05 at Houston).
Sims, who ranks second in the ACC and 16th in the country with a .415 attack percentage, is also on track to make some history. The senior middle blocker is 89 blocks away from breaking the Miami career blocks record.
While the senior captains are key components to Miami’s success, a fantastic freshman also plays an important role for the Hurricanes. Setter Haley Templeton heads into this weekend’s matches fresh off her second consecutive ACC Freshman of the Week selection. Templeton, who had a career-high 53 assists against Florida State, ranks third in the ACC with 10.57 assists/set.
Juniors Taylor Scott and Kalysta White and freshman Sakile Simmons round out Miami’s projected starters. Scott, an outside hitter, ranks fourth on the team with 111 kills on the year, while Simmons is second on the team in blocks with 56 while starting every match at middle blocker for the Canes. White has been the primary defensive specialist in 2014, recording a team-high 167 digs.
The Hurricanes also gets contributions off the bench from freshmen Brooke McDermott, Sylvia Hernandez and Michele Marenus, as well as senior Blair Fuentez and Juniors Misty Ma’a and Caitilin Donahoe. Hernandez believes the Hurricanes need to continue building from match to match as the season goes on.
“We need to come together as a team and stay focused on what we need to do,” Hernandez said. “We need to build off what we did on Sunday against FSU, compete and play our game.”
Following this weekend’s trip to Syracuse and Boston College, Miami returns home for a pair of matches against Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech.
The Canes will host the Hokies on Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. in the annual “Dig Pink” match to help find a cure for breast cancer. Dig Pink t-shirts will be available for purchase with proceeds going towards breast cancer research. Miami’s match against the Yellow Jackets is set to begin at 1 p.m. on Oct. 19.
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.
