@CanesVB Travels to NC State and UNC
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami volleyball team travels to North Carolina for a pair of ACC road matches this weekend.
The Hurricanes (7-9, 1-3 ACC) will play at NC State (9-7, 2-2 ACC) at 7 p.m. on Friday at the Reynolds Coliseum. Miami will then face No. 9 North Carolina (13-2, 4-0 ACC) at 1 p.m. on Sunday at Carmichael Coliseum. Both matches will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra, with Sunday’s match also being carried on RSN.
Miami is led by Preseason All-ACC selection Olga Strantzali. The junior, who has 267 kills on the season, is atop the ACC and ranked 15th in the NCAA with 4.53 kills per set. Strantzali also leads the conference in total service aces with 25.
Anna Haak is another dangerous attacker for Miami, ranking second on the team with 164 kills. The sophomore is a versatile player that has recorded the second-most services aces on the team (12) and third-most digs (130).
Kolby Bird is third on the Hurricanes with 97 kills. The sophomore has primarily played on the right side for Miami, a position in which she has tallied 35 blocks from on the season. Bird also is third on the team with 11 service aces.
The Hurricanes feature a trio of talented middle blockers, led by sophomore Lucia Pampana and junior Sakile Simmons. Pampana leads the team and ranks 10th in the ACC with a .321 attack percentage. She is also leading the team with 53 blocks on the season, while Simmons ranks second with 41 blocks. Freshman Madison Dill completes the trio and has seen action in reserve this season.
Freshman Hannah Sorensen has dished out 258 assists in seven matches this season. Sorensen distributed a career-high 50 assists on Sunday against Syracuse.
Sylvia Hernandez is Miami’s libero and the junior had recorded a team-high 187 digs on the season. Miami head coach Jose “Keno” Gandara has also seen junior Alyssa Basdavanos, sophomore Codi Lee and freshmen Sara Duque and Carly Davey contribute off the bench in 2016.
Duque had a career-high three service aces against Boston College last Friday, while Davey set a career-high with two service aces against Coastal Carolina. Basdavanos recorded a career-high with 53 assists in her Hurricane debut against UTSA, while Lee had a career-best nine digs against Florida A&M in the season opener.
Following this weekend’s trip to North Carolina, Miami returns to Coral Gables for a three-match homestand. The Hurricanes welcome Pitt to the James L. Knight Sports Complex at 7 p.m., on Oct. 14, while Virginia Tech is scheduled to face the Canes at 1 p.m., on Oct. 16. Florida State wraps up the three-game stretch with a Wednesday night match scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. on Oct. 19.
All Hurricanes volleyball home matches are played at the James L. Knight Sports Complex on the University of Miami campus. Admission is free. 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.
