@CanesVB Ready for FIU/Miami Challenge
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami volleyball teamwill close out the non-conference portion of its 2015 schedule this week with the FIU/Miami Challenge.
The Hurricanes will play two matches in their final weekend before ACC play, hosting Seattle University at 7 pm on Thursday and UCF at 7 PM on Friday. Both matches will be played at the James L. Knight Sports Complex and admission is free.
Miami enters this weekend’s action off an impressive showing in a tournament at LSU a week ago, going 2-0 with wins over No. 20 Purdue and the host LSU Tigers. The victory over Purdue was Miami’s first win over a ranked team since beating No. 12 North Carolina in five sets on Nov. 3, 2013. The win over the 20th-ranked Boilermakers was also the program’s first win over a ranked opponent away from Coral Gables since Miami beat No. 15 Wisconsin in four sets in the second round of the NCAA Tournament on Dec 7, 2002.
Three Hurricanes earned All-Tournament honors in Baton Rouge: Taylor Scott, Alexis Mourning and Kalysta White. Scott was also named the tournament’s MVP and added another accolade when she was selected as the ACC Player of the Week on Sept. 14. The seniorearned ACC Player of the Week honors for the first time in her Miami career and she the first Hurricane to win an ACC weekly award in 2015.
Scott, who ranks third on the team in kills, digs and service aces, is playing some of her best volleyball lately. The senior outside hitter recorded 14 kills and a career-high 22 digs, adding four blocks and a service ace in Miami’s win over No. 20 Purdue. A day later, she recorded a double-double in the victory over LSU.
Mourning has been one of the top middle blockers in the conference, earning a pair of all-tournament selections and ranking fifth in the ACC with a .435 hitting percentage. She also leads the Canes with 35 total blocks on the season. White has also made an impact as Miami’s libero, tallying a team-high 118 digs.
Sophomore Olga Strantzali has been a force for the Hurricanes offensively, leading the team with 115 kills and 16 service aces. She ranks ninth in the ACC with 3.48 kills/set and third in the conference with 0.48 service aces/set. She is also tied with Kelsie Groot for the team lead with four double-doubles.
Groot has been a steady contributor for Miami, ranking second on the team with 86 kills and fourth with 69 digs. The Canes have also received a boost from freshman Lucia Pampana, who has tallied 17 blocks over the previous four matches.
Sophomore Haley Templeton is charged with keeping Miami’s attack moving. The setter ranks third in the ACC with 10.06 assists/set, tallying 332 assists over Miami’s first eight matches. Templeton is also dangerous with her serves, ranking second on the Canes with 10 aces.
The Canes also feature a talented and versatile bench that includes a mix of experienced players like sophomore middle blocker Sakile Simmons, senior setter Caitilin Donahoe and sophomore defensive specialists Michele Marenus and Sylvia Hernandez talented freshmen Anna Haak, Kolby Bird and Codi Lee as players who have contributed for the Hurricanes so far in 2015.
This weekend’s matches will be broadcasted on ESPN3. Click here to watch the match against Seattle University at 7 pm on Sept. 17 and click here to watch the match against UCF at 7 PM on Sept. 18
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.
