CanesVB Ready for NCAA Opener vs. Iowa State
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami opens play in the 2015 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Tournament Thursday against Iowa State.
The Hurricanes (21-9, 14-6 ACC) earned one of the 64 spots in the 2015 NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball field and will be one of four teams participating in the Madison, Wis., portion of the Austin Regional, joining No. 6 Wisconsin, Iowa State and Oregon.
“We will face new opponents that present new challenges, but we will take them one at a time,” Miami head coach Jose “Keno” Gandara said. “We’re going to be facing pretty good teams, but we’ll be ready.”
Miami, who finished tied for fourth in the ACC, will face Iowa State at 6 p.m. ET on Thursday in their first round match of the 2015 NCAA Tournament. The winner of that match advances to face the winner of Wisconsin and Oregon on Friday.
The Canes are led by a quartet of All-ACC players in seniors Alexis Mourning and Taylor Scott and sophomores Olga Strantzali and Haley Templeton. All four players were named to the 2015 All-ACC Second Team a week ago and each one has been a major contributor this season.
Strantzali, who was named ACC Player of the Week on Monday, leads the ACC and is 15th in the NCAA with 0.46 service aces per set. The sophomore leads the Canes with 356 kills on the season and will be counted on to continue her success in Madison this week.
Scott was Miami’s first ACC Player of the Week in 2015, winning the award in September after a stellar showing at the LSU Tournament that ended with MVP honors for the talented senior. Scott has been a potent attacker, tallying 316 kills on the year to rank second on the Canes. She also is one of four Canes to record at least 20 services aces on the season.
Mourning has been a big factor at the net all season for the Canes. The senior middle blocker has been efficient with her attack, ranking eighth in the ACC with a team-high .344 hitting percentage. Mourning, who leads the Canes with 125 blocks, is excited about reaching the NCAA Tournament in her final season playing for the Hurricanes.
“It’s a new season and it doesn’t matter what your ranking is,” Mourning said. “You just play hard and anyone can beat anyone, so that’s exciting.”
Templeton has been a key player in keeping Miami’s offense running smoothly. The sophomore setter ranks fourth in the ACC with 10.72 assists per set and has dished out 1,233 assists on the season. Templeton is also a dangerous server, recording 30 aces over 30 matches this season.
Kelsie Groot is another key member of the 2015 Canes, leading the team with 10 double-doubles. A versatile player, Groot ranks in the top three on the team in kills, assists and digs. The redshirt junior is excited to be headed to her fourth NCAA Tournament with the Hurricanes
“It’s so exciting knowing we are in the tournament,” Groot said. “It’s another shot at showing everyone who we are. We are hoping to make a big run in the tournament. I think everyone is overjoyed.”
Sakile Simmons and Kalysta White round out Miami’s projected starters and each player brings a different dimension to the Hurricanes. Simmons ranks third on the team with a .298 attack percentage and has picked up 51 blocks over 63 sets this season. White has been Miami’s starting libero all season and has a team-high 442 digs to go with 20 service aces on the season.
Freshman Anna Haak was Miami’s top reserve in the final week of the regular season. The outside hitter earned ACC Freshman of the Week honors after combining for 25 kills and an outstanding .373 hitting percentage in wins over Clemson and Georgia Tech.
Sophomore Sylvia Hernandez is another key reserve for the Canes, recording at least six digs in seven of Miami’s last eight matches. Senior Caitilin Donahoe, sophomores Michele Marenus and Brooke McDermott and freshmen Kolby Bird, Lucia Pampana and Codi Lee round out a talented group of reserves that have contributed this season.
“This whole season we’ve really focused on ourselves and not really looked at the opponent,” junior Groot said. “We’re worried about what each of us is going to provide to the team and I think if we keep playing like that it will show in the games.”
The Hurricanes are part of a 16-team bracket in the Austin Regional that features No. 3 Texas, No. 6 Wisconsin, No. 11 Florida and No. 14 UCLA. Miami has now earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament for the third straight year under Gandara, the seventh consecutive season and the eighth time in program history.
The Canes, who are 4-7 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, will face Iowa State (18-10, 11-5 Big XII) in the opening round. Miami is 0-1 all-time against the Cyclones, falling in three sets in the second round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament.
A year ago, the Canes reached the second round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament, falling to No. 8 Florida in a hard-fought four-set battle. Miami reached the second round for the third time in program history. The Canes earned their first NCAA Tournament victory since 2011 when they beat UCF in five sets on Dec. 5. The win was also the first NCAA Tournament victory in Gandara’s head coaching career.
Miami’s best postseason run came in 2002 and began in Madison, Wisconsin. The Canes swept Duke in the first round and defeated No. 15 Wisconsin in four sets to advance to the Regional Semifinal, where they fell to No. 3 Nebraska.
The Hurricanes’ 21 wins in 2015 ties the most in a regular season under head coach Jose “Keno” Gandara. The Canes also achieved their second consecutive 20-win season under Gandara.
First- and second-round matches will be played at 16 campus sites beginning Thursday, December 3. Teams winning both matches will move on to regional play December 11 and 12. All regional semifinal games will be shown on ESPN3, while regional final games will air on ESPNU.
The regional winners will advance to the semifinals and final hosted by the University of Nebraska at the Century Link Center in Omaha, Nebraska on December 17 and 19. Both national semifinal games as well as the championship game will be broadcast by ESPN2. All regional and championship site game times can be found at www.ncaa.com/wvb.
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.
