@CanesVB Ready for UM/FIU Invitational
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami volleyball team will open the 2016 season with three matches at the UM/FIU Invitational.
The Hurricanes will play three matches over two days, beginning with the season opener at home against Florida A&M on Friday at 6 p.m., in the James L. Knight Sports Complex. The Canes will play at FIU at 11:30 a.m., on Saturday before returning to their home floor for a match against Coastal Carolina that is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. The UM/FIU Invitational is the first of four non-conference tournaments Miami will play in to open the 2016 season.
“I feel like going into the season there is good energy in the gym,” Miami head coach Jose “Keno” Gandara said. “Everybody is anxious to play. We did a good job in the preseason so now it’s time to see where we are at in comparison to other teams.”
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 Canes had two players selected to the 2016 Preseason All-ACC Team. Juniors Olga Strantzali and Haley Templeton were among the 18 players chosen by a vote of the ACC’s 15 head coaches.
“The whole team is so excited,” Templeton said. “It’s our first game and it’s a home game. A lot of our parents and friends are coming to town. We are excited to see what we can do.”
Strantzali and Templeton and joined by junior Sakile Simmons and sophomore Lucia Pampana as returning starters from last year’s squad, while juniors Sylvia Hernandez and Brooke McDermott, as well as sophomores Anna Haak, Kolby Bird and Codi Lee, will look to carve out bigger roles this season after contributing for the Canes last year.
The Hurricanes also welcome six newcomers to the 2016 roster: junior Alyssa Basdavanos and freshmen Carly Davey, Madison Dill, Sara Duque, Elizaveta Lukianova and Hannah Sorensen.
“The team has never won the ACC, so we want to do that this year,” Strantzali said. “We’ve been practicing really hard. I feel like it’s something we can do this year.”
Friday’s match against Florida A&M and Saturday’s match against Coastal Carolina will both be broadcast live on ACC Network Extra.
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.
