Strantzali, Templeton Named Preseason All-ACC
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami’s Olga Strantzali and Haley Templeton were selected to the 2016 Preseason All-ACC Team.
The two Hurricanes were among the 18 student-athletes named to the Preseason All-ACC Team following a vote by the league’s head coaches. Strantzali and Templeton are repeat honorees, earning Preseason All-ACC a year ago.
Templeton had a stellar sophomore season for the Hurricanes a year ago, receiving AVCA All-Region recognition for the second time in her career. The setter proved her abilities on the court to earn All-ACC Second Team honors after finishing the 2015 campaign with eight double-doubles, tying with Strantzali for second most on the team. Templeton, who recorded 1,261 assists on the year, averaged 10.69 assists per set to rank fourth in the ACC.
A dangerous server, Templeton ranked second on the Hurricanes with 31 service aces on the season. The Alpharetta, Ga., native set new career highs in assists, recording 56 assists against Duke on Oct. 11 and against NC State on Oct. 16. She also set tied her career-high for service aces in a match, recording three services aces at Wake Forest on Oct. 9 and against Syracuse on Oct. 25. Templeton, an excellent student, also earned All-ACC Academic honors following the 2015 season.
Strantzali’s honor comes off the heels of a stellar 2015 debut season in the ACC. Like Templeton, she was earned AVCA All-Region honors and was selected Second Team All-ACC in 2015. As a sophomore last year, Strantzali led the ACC with 51 service aces, recording an outstanding 0.44 service aces per set that ranked 17th in the country.
While Strantzali’s powerful serve was well known, so was her attacking prowess. The gifted outside hitter led Miami with 363 kills on the season, tallying 3.16 kills per set. Strantzali, who recorded eight double-doubles on the year, played some of the best volleyball of her career in 2015. The Greece native set career match highs in services aces and kills, recording six aces against Wake Forest on Nov. 22 and tallying 24 kills against Marquette on Sept. 5. She also was one of three Hurricanes to earn All-ACC Academic honors in 2015.
Strantzali and Templeton played key roles in helping Miami reach the NCAA Tournament for the seventh consecutive season and eighth time in program history. The Hurricanes, who reached the tournament for the third straight season under head coach Jose “Keno” Gandara, fell to Iowa State in the first round of the 2015 NCAA Tournament.
In addition to the two Canes selected to the Preseason All-ACC Team, Miami was predicted to finish third in the ACC this season. The Hurricanes tallied 159 points in a poll of the league’s 15 head coaches to slot in third in the 2016 Predicted Order of Finish.
Miami will open the 2016 season with the UM/FIU Invitational on Aug. 26-27, the first of four non-conference tournaments on the 2016 Canes schedule. The Hurricanes will host Florida A&M in the season opener at 6 p.m., on Aug. 26. The Canes will play at FIU at 11:30 a.m., on Aug. 27 before returning to their home floor for a match against Coastal Carolina that is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
All Hurricanes volleyball home matches are played at the James L. Knight Sports Complex on the University of Miami campus. For a complete look at the Hurricanes’ 2016 schedule, click here.
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.
