Gandara Earns 100th Win in Four-Set Victory over FAU
CORAL GABLES, Fla., – The University of Miami volleyball program defeated FAU, 3-1, on Friday night to give head coach Jose “Keno” Gandara his 100thcareer victory.
The Canes (1-0) beat the Owls (0-2), 25-20, 25-20, 22-25, and 31-29 to secure their first victory of the season and close out the opening day of the 2018 Sunshine State Challenge. With the win, Gandara became the third head coach in program history to reach the 100-win milestone.
“We played a great team, the expectations were there and I think the girls lived up to it and I’m happy about it,” Gandara said. “It’s a great feeling to get this win and it means a lot to have the staff and players I’ve been able to coach be a part of this win.”
The Canes were led by freshman outside hitter Chloe Brown, who had a phenomenal start to her collegiate career, tallying 19 kills and two service aces in her first collegiate start. Brown helped lead the Canes to their first win of the season. Friday night’s win made it 15-straight season-opening victories for the Canes.
“I wasn’t expecting to have a night like that, but it’s really exciting and the team is really fun to play with,” Brown said.
Redshirt senior setter Haley Templeton picked up right where she left off in 2017 with 51 assists, including 12 in the first set. The Preseason All-ACC honoree guided the Canes’ attack to a .328 hitting percentage for the night. Templeton was one of three Hurricanes to record two service aces, joined by Brown and freshman Emily Damon.
Three Canes tallied double-digit kills on Friday. Brown, redshirt sophomore Elizaveta Lukianova (17) and senior Kolby Bird (11) combined for 47 of Miami’s 62 kills. Lukianova tied a career-high with 17 kills, which she set last season against Virginia on Nov. 17.
Miami took the second set, 25-20, and went into the intermission with a 2-0 lead. The Hurricane attack was excellent in Set 2, hitting .571 as a team. Six different Canes tallied a hitting percentage of .333 or better in the second set.
The Canes looked poised for a sweep, leading 22-18 in the third set. But FAU made a late charge, taking the next seven points to earn a set win and force a fourth set in the match
The Hurricanes and Owls battled into extra points in the final set, with Miami coming away victorious, 31-29. Lukianova continued to shine throughout the match and led the Canes with six kills in the fourth. Junior middle blocker Bridget Wallenberger had four of her nine kills in the final set and closed the night with a team-high six blocks.
The Canes face FGCU on Saturday at 11 a.m, and will close the Sunshine State Challenge against UCF at 7:30 p.m. FGCU defeated FAU, 3-0, in their opening match and fell to UCF, 3-0, in their second match of the day.
UCF is set to play FAU at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, before facing the Canes in the final match of the tournament.
All Hurricanes volleyball home matches are played at the James L. Knight Sports Complex on the University of Miami campus. Admission is free.
The University of Miami – Coral Gables Campus has introduced an updated parking policy for the 2018-19 school year. Enforcement is now extended to seven days a week, 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. PayByPhone and additional pay stations are available across all campus parking lots and garages to facilitate visitor parking.
For a complete look at the Hurricanes’ 2018 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.
