@CanesVB Heads to VT and Pitt
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami volleyball team hits the road this week with a trip to Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh.
The Canes will play the Hokies at 7 p.m. on Friday and are slated to open the month of November with a 1 p.m. match at Pitt on Sunday. Friday’s match will be broadcast on ESPN3. Miami enters this weekend’s matches off a 2-0 home weekend with wins over Boston College and Syracuse. The Canes have won seven of the last eight matches heading into this weekend’s action.
Miami has a variety of leaders on and off the court this season, but few have matched the consistent play of senior Taylor Scott. The high-flying outside hitter was outstanding for the Canes last weekend, leading Miami with 13 kills in a three-set sweep over BC and tallying a team-high 19 kills while hitting .600 in the Canes’ sweep of Syracuse. Scott’s 3.31 kills/set rank 10th in the ACC.
Olga Strantzali has also been a steady contributor for the Hurricanes this season. The sophomore leads the ACC and ranks 25th in the country with 0.44 service aces per set. A talented outside hitter, Strantzali leads the Hurricanes with 243 kills on the season.
Miami has a trio of talented middle blockers that have combined to give the Canes solid production all season. Senior captain Alexis Mourning leads the group, ranking seventh in the ACC with a team-high .357 attack percentage and a team-best 82 blocks, while sophomore Sakile Simmons and freshman Lucia Pampana have combined for 76 blocks on the season.
Junior Kelsie Groot and freshmen Kolby Bird and Anna Haak have also contributed for the Canes at outside hitter and on the right side. Groot is a steady all-around player, ranking third on the team in kills, assists, and digs, the freshmen Bird and Haak have provided a spark off the bench for Miami head coach Jose “Keno” Gandara.
The Miami offense runs through setter Haley Templeton and the sophomore ranks fourth in the ACC with 10.39 assists per set. Templeton also has a dangerous serve, tallying 21 aces on the season.
Kalysta White rounds out Miami’s projected starters at libero and the senior leads the Canes with 300 digs on the season. Miami also has a talented and deep bench that has seen senior setter Caitilin Donahoe, sophomores Brooke McDermott, Michele Marenus and Sylvia Hernandez and freshman Codi Lee contribute throughout the 2015 season.
Following this weekend’s road trip, the Canes will return to Coral Gables for a six-match homestand beginning next week against Florida State and Virginia. Miami will host the rival Seminoles at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 4, and the visiting Cavaliers on Friday, Nov. 6, at 7 p.m. Louisville, Notre Dame, Duke and Wake Forest will also travel to Miami during the six-match homestand that runs through Nov. 22. All Miami home matches are played at the James L. Knight Sports Complex on the University of Miami campus and admission is free.
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.
