@CanesVB Ready for NCAA Opener vs. UCF
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of Miami volleyball team opens its stay at the 2014 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Tournament Friday against UCF.
The Hurricanes (21-8, 14-4 ACC) earned one of the 64 spots in the 2014 NCAA Tournament and will be one of four teams participating in the Gainesville portion of the Ames Regional, joining No. 8 Florida, UCF and Alabama State.
“I’m extremely excited for this group with so many new players,” head coach Jose “Keno” Gandara said following the team’s selection. “To see where we started off and the improvement we made with this in mind; our goal was always to make the tournament and hopefully make a run in the tournament. It’s exciting to see that happening. I felt really good coming into this week and feel we deserve to be in the tournament. I am extremely happy for the players, staff and the university.”
Miami, who finished tied for third in the ACC, will face UCF at 4:30 p.m. Friday in their first round match of the 2014 NCAA Tournament. The winner of that match advances to face the winner of No. 8 Florida and Alabama State.
The Canes will be led by 2014 ACC Player of the Year Savanah Leaf, 2014 First Team All-ACC selection Emani Sims and 2014 ACC Freshman of the Year Haley Templeton.
Leaf was an absolute force all season en route to becoming the second ACC Player of the Year in UM History, joining Lane Carico (2011). The San Anselmo Calif., native was a three-time ACC Player of the Week selection and finished the regular season leading the ACC and ranking 15th in the country with 4.56 kills/set. A First Team All-ACC selection, she is the team leader in kills (451), kills/set (4.56) and points (5.24), while ranking second in attack percentage (.302), service aces (25) and digs (250), and third in blocks (77).
Sims was a leader on and off the court for Miami. The senior captain led Miami with a .394 attack percentage that ranked third in the ACC and 23rd in the country. Her 130 blocks are a team-best, while she finished second on the team in points (3.08) and fourth in kills (218) and service aces (16). She was named All-Tournament at both the HotelRED Invitational and the TCU NIKE Invitational. A Preseason-All ACC honoree, Sims earned her third consecutive First Team All-ACC selection.
Templeton had a fantastic freshman campaign, earning ACC Freshman of the Week honors five times during the 2014 season. The Alpharetta, Ga., native eclipsed the 1,000-assist mark during Miami’s 3-1 victory over Georgia Tech a week ago, recording the 10th 1,000-assist season since the program returned in 2001. The gifted setter finished the regular season ranked second in the ACC with 11.02 assists/set. She finished the year with 1,047 assists and led the Hurricanes with 27 service aces. She is the second Cane to win ACC Freshman of the Year, joining Carico (2008).
Junior Taylor Scott and sophomore Kelsie Groot are versatile players who contribute in a variety of ways for the Hurricanes. Scott ranks second on the team in kills (232) and third in digs (239), while Groot leads the Canes with 259 digs and ranks second in service aces (25) and third in kills (223).
Freshmen Sakile Simmons and Sylvia Hernandez complete Miami’s projected starters and the newcomers bring different things to the floor. Simmons is an active blocker from the middle, recording 106 blocks on the season, while Hernandez had been a strong player in Miami’s back row since taking over as the starting defensive specialist in late October.
Miami also features a talented bench that includes freshmen Brooke McDermott and Michele Marenus, as well as senior Blair Fuentez and juniors Kalysta White and Caitilin Donahoe. The quintet of reserves gives Gandara a variety of options against the Knights.
The Hurricanes are part of a 16-team bracket that features No. 1 overall seed Stanford, No. 8 Florida, No. 9 Illinois and No. 16 Kansas. Miami has now earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the second straight year under Gandara, the sixth consecutive year and the seventh time in program history.
“From my experience, I think one of the keys to doing well is balance,” Gandara said. “We need to balance our excitement because while we are deserving of a spot in the tournament, we still have business to take care of.”
The Canes, who are 3-6 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, will face American Athletic Conference champion UCF (25-7, 18-2 AAC) in the opening round. Miami is 10-5 all-time against UCF, last facing the Knights in 2003. The Hurricanes have played against UCF twice since volleyball returned to Miami in 2001, winning both matches.
Miami’s best postseason run came in 2002 when the Hurricanes reached the Sweet 16 before falling to Nebraska. Last season, the Hurricanes dropped their first round match against Oregon in three sets. Two years ago, the Canes traveled to Gainesville for their first round match of the 2012 NCAA Tournament.
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