@CanesVB Travels to Missouri State Tourney
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – The University of Miami volleyball team hits the road for the first time in 2015, travelling to Missouri State to compete in the Dr. Mary Jo Wynn Invitational.
The Hurricanes will face off against Missouri State, Marquette and Oral Roberts at the 2015 Mary Jo Wynn Invitational, a tournament field that Miami head coach Jose “Keno” Gandara is excited to see his team compete against.
“I think we will see some good teams at Missouri State,” Gandara said. “I think it’s a great tournament for us at this point and I’m excited for it. The key is to understand that we are going to a new environment and there is some travel involved, but we need to continue to do what we are doing the way we are doing them. If we believe in that, that is our best shot to play well and get the wins.”
Miami heads to Springfield, Mo., fresh off a 3-0 season-opening weekend at the 2015 Hurricane Invitational. The Canes defeated Illinois State and Florida A&M in three sets a piece before closing out the tournament with a victory in a five-set thriller against Kansas State.
The Hurricanes had several players standout on opening weekend, including sophomore Olga Strantzali. The outside hitter was making her Canes debut and she wasted little time showing her ability, recording 15 kills and a career-high five aces in the season opener against Illinois State.
Middle blockers Alexis Mourning and Sakile Simmons also had impact performances over the weekend. Mourning finished the weekend with a .606 attack percentage that leads the ACC and 21 kills, while Simmons tallied 17 kills and a .517 hitting percentage. The duo also combined for 25 blocks over 11 sets of the Hurricane Invitational.
Junior Kelsie Groot played a key role in ensuring that the Canes finished the Hurricane Invitational undefeated, recording a career-high 19 kills with12 digs to notch one of three Hurricane double-doubles in the match.
Sophomore Haley Templeton paced a Miami attack that is hitting .291 for the season. The 2014 ACC Freshman of the Year is off to a strong start in 2015, dishing out a career-high 55 assists in Miami’s win over Kansas State. Templeton, who recorded a double-double against the Wildcats, has also tallied four service aces on the season.
Seniors Taylor Scott and Kalysta White round out Miami’s projected starters and both experienced players have made strong contributions so far this season. Scott posted 10 kills and hit .360 in Miami’s season-opening victory over Illinois State, while White has led Miami in digs in each of their three matches to date.
Seven other Canes have appeared in action this season, including returners Caitilin Donahoe, Sylvia Hernandez and Michele Marenus. Freshmen Anna Haak, Lucia Pampana and Codi Lee also made their Hurricane debuts a week ago and add to a talented and deep Hurricanes roster.
The Canes open this weekend’s action on Friday against Missouri State in a match that will be broadcast on ESPN3 beginning at 7:30 p.m. Miami will return to action on Saturday, playing Marquette at noon and Oral Roberts at 6:30 p.m. ET.
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