@CanesVB To Host Orange & Green Scrimmage
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami volleyball team will hold its annual Orange and Green Scrimmage on Saturday.
The annual preseason scrimmage is set to begin at 10:30 a.m. in the home of Hurricane volleyball, the James L. Knight Sports Complex. The scrimmage is open to the public and free to attend.
“We compete every day in practice, but it will be nice to put the uniform on and have a referee up there and just play a game of volleyball,” Miami head coach Jose “Keno” Gandara said. “We have a new team, so it’s going to give us a lot of information moving forward.”
Miami brings back nine players from a 2015 squad that went 21-10, including 14-6 in the ACC. The Hurricanes finished 2015 with at least 20 wins for the second-consecutive season under Gandara. In addition, Miami also appeared in the 2015 NCAA Tournament, facing Iowa State in the opening round. The Canes have now reached the tournament in all three of Gandara’s seasons at the helm of the program and in each of the previous seven seasons.
The Hurricanes returnfour of seven starters from last year’s team, including 2016 Preseason All-ACC selections Haley Templeton and Olga Strantzali. Fellow junior Sakile Simmons and sophomore Lucia Pampana also return as experienced starters for Miami.
“I’m looking forward to the new season,” Strantzali said. “I believe that we can do even more than what we did last year and I am excited about the scrimmage. It’s another practice for us, but it feels more like a real game and that’s going to help us as we head into the season.”
Juniors Sylvia Hernandez and Brooke McDermott, as well as sophomores Anna Haak, Kolby Bird and Codi Lee, also made contributions for the Hurricanes in 2015 and will look to carve out bigger roles this season.
The Canes also welcome six newcomers to the 2016 roster: Junior Alyssa Basdavanos and freshmen Carly Davey, Madison Dill, Sara Duque, Elizaveta Lukianova and Hannah Sorensen.
“I’m so excited to start playing again,” Templeton said. “Being off for most of the summer was really hard, so I can’t wait to get back out there. The team is really good this year. There are a lot of new girls that are so talented and willing to work hard and play for the team. It’s definitely exciting.”
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.
“I can’t wait to get back in the gym with our fans,” Strantzali said. “I feel like the gym is amazing for the players that play here. It’s our gym, so we know how to play in here and it’s helpful for us when the students and families come support us. It’s amazing to play in front of those people.”
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.
