@CanesVB Beats Miss. State at Wildcat Classic
MANHATTAN, Kan. – The University of Miami volleyball team closed out its trip to the 2016 Wildcat Classic with a victory over Mississippi State.
The Hurricanes (5-4) beat the Bulldogs (5-5) in four sets at Ahearn Field House to finish the Wildcat Classic 2-1 for the weekend. Mississippi State took the opening set, 25-22, before Miami won the second set, 25-21, to head into the intermission even at one set apiece. The Canes won the third set, 27-25, and closed out the match with a 25-21 victory in the fourth set.
Following the match, Olga Strantzali and Kolby Bird were named to the Wildcat Classic All-Tournament Team. The duo played a big role in helping Miami beat Mississippi State on Saturday morning.
Strantzali led the Hurricanes with 20 kills, adding a team-high five service aces, nine digs and a block. Bird was also dangerous on the attack and with the serve, tallying 13 kills on a .346 attack percentage and recording three service aces, five digs and six blocks.
Anna Haak had nine kills,two service aces, 11 digs and four blocks, while middle blocker Lucia Pampana had four kills on a .444 attack percentage and added a team-best eight blocks and a service ace.
Alyssa Basdavanos dished out 43 assists, adding two digs, a block and two kills, while Sylvia Hernandez had a career-high 21 digs and a service ace as Miami’s libero.
Miami also got contributions from middle blockers Sakile Simmons and Madison Dill, who combined for two kills and four blocks. Sara Duque had eight digs off the bench and Brooke McDermott also saw action in reserve.
Following this weekend’s action, the Hurricanes are set to close non-conference play with three matches at a tournament at the University of Delaware on Sept. 16-17. Miami opens against the host Delaware at 7 p.m. ET on Sept. 16. The Canes will then face Missouri at 10 a.m. ET on Sept. 17 and close out the tournament with a 4:30 p.m. ET match against Duquesne.
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.
