@CanesVB Ready for No. 12 FSU and Virginia
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami volleyball team is set for a home and road split week, hosting No. 12 Florida State and playing at Virginia.
The Hurricanes (8-12, 2-6 ACC)will wrap up a three-match homestand with a Wednesday night match against the Seminoles (14-3, 7-1 ACC) at 7 p.m. Miami will then travel to face Virginia (4-15, 17 ACC) at 7 p.m., on Saturday in Charlottesville, Va. Wednesday’s match against Florida State will be broadcast on Fox Sports South and ACC Network Extra.
Miami is led by one of the top attackers in the country in Olga Strantzali. The junior, who leads the ACC and ranks 11th in the NCAA with 4.59 kills per set, is Miami’s most prolific hitter. Strantzali has recorded at least 15 kills in 16 of Miami’s 20 matches this season, including a career-high 25 against Syracuse on Oct. 2. She also has a powerful serve that she has used to record an ACC-best 31 service aces (0.42/set).
The Hurricanes also have a pair of talented sophomores in Anna Haak and Kolby Bird who round out their top three attackers. Haak ranks second on the team with 208 kills and is tied with Strantzali for second with 177 digs.
Bird has recorded 118 kills on the season and has hit .225 on the year, both third-best on the 2016 Miami squad. She is tied with Haak for second on the team with 12 service aces and rates third in total blocks with 43.
Lucia Pampana and Sakile Simmons have made an impact in the middle all season for the Hurricanes. Pamana ranks eighth in the ACC with her team-best .321 attack percentage, while also pacing Miami with 69 total blocks. Simmons has notched 50 blocks to rank second among all Canes this season.
Hannah Sorensen orchestrates Miami’s offense, dishing out 9.98 assists per set to rank eighth in the ACC. The freshman has 399 assists on the year and has distributed at least 25 assists in all 11 of her matches played.
Sylvia Hernandez leads the Canes with 242 digs, but Miami’s libero has also been on a hot streak with her serves recently. The junior tallied five aces last weekend, including a career-best three against Pitt.
In addition to Miami’s projected starters, the Hurricanes have gotten contributions from juniors Haley Templeton, Brooke McDermott and Alyssa Basdavanos, sophomore Codi Lee and freshmen Sara Duque, Madison Dill and Carly Davey.
Following this week’s matches, the Canes will continue their road swing with a trip to Notre Dame for a 7 p.m. match on Oct. 28. Miami will also play at Louisville at 2 p.m., on Oct. 30.
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.
