@CanesVB Travels to Wake Forest and Duke
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami volleyball team heads on its final road trip of the 2016 regular season.
The Hurricanes (13-15, 7-9 ACC) enter this weekend’s matches off a 2-0 road weekend at Syracuse and Boston College. Miami will look to continue its success when it plays at Wake Forest (9-18, 5-11 ACC) at 6:30 p.m., on Friday and takes on Duke (20-6, 14-2 ACC) at 1 p.m., on Sunday in a match that will air on ACC Network Extra.
Miami is led by one of the most dangerous hitters in the country in Olga Strantzali. The junior outside hitter leads the ACC and ranks eighth in the NCAA with 4.70 kills per set. Strantzali’s 494 kills are 10th in the NCAA and her 560.0 points lead the conference and rank ninth nationally. She also leads the ACC with 0.41 service aces per set. She is just six kills away from 500 on the season and seven service aces away from 50 for the year.
Sophomore Anna Haak is another prolific attacker for the Hurricanes, coming off a weekend in which she set a new career-best for kills with 21 against Syracuse and recorded her seventh double-double of the year in Miami’s win at Boston College. Haak ranks second on the Canes in kills (328) and is third in service aces (16) and digs (244).
The Hurricanes have a trio of middle blockers who have contributed throughout the season. Sophomore Lucia Pampana has been the most consistent, appearing in 27 matches and leading the Canes in attack percentage (.295) and total blocks (98).
Madison Dill has played in just 14 matches, but is coming off a career-best performance. The freshman hada career-high nine kills on a .571 attack percentage and added a career-best seven blocks in a win at Boston College. Junior Sakile Simmons has been a regular contributor, tallying 61 total blocks over 26 matches.
Hannah Sorensen enters the weekend fourth in the ACC and 50th in the NCAA with 10.63 assists per set. The freshman setter has dished out 765 assists over 19 matches this season and also has recorded 15 service aces, including a career-best four in Miami’s win at Syracuse last weekend.
Kolby Bird is Miami’s right side and she has been a steady performer for the Canes. The sophomore is third on the team with 165 kills and rates second in total blocks with 61. Sylvia Hernandez is Miami’s libero and the junior had a team-best 349 digs on the season, while posting 19 service aces to rank second on the team.
The Canes have also gotten contributions from freshmen Sara Duque and Carly Davey, sophomore Codi Lee and juniors Haley Templeton, Brooke McDermott and Alyssa Basdavanos this season.
Following this weekend’s action, the Hurricanes return home for the final two matches of the regular season. Miami will host Georgia Tech at 7 p.m., on Nov. 23 and welcomes Clemson for the season finale at noon on Nov. 25.
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.
