Miami Travels to No. 8 Pitt for 1st Road ACC Match
CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami volleyball program travels to the undefeated Pittsburgh Panthers’ Fitzgerald Field House on Friday for their first road ACC match of the season.
The Canes hit the road with a four-match win streak after opening up ACC play 2-0 for the second straight season. Miami (6-3) swept Wake Forest, 3-0, on opening night before earning with a 3-1 win over Duke on Sunday.
Senior Kolby Bird and freshman Chloe Brown each had a standout night against the Blue Devils after Bird finished with a season-high 17 kills and Brown recorded her first career double-double with 11 kills and 12 digs.
Junior transfer Bridget Wallenberger also produced quality numbers for Miami after tallying a career-high eight block assists against the Blue Devils. Wallenberger leads the team with 40 blocks on the season.
Miami’s outside hitters, Brown, Bird and Elizaveta Lukianova are all on the cusp of reaching 100 kills this season after nine matches. Lukianova’s 98 kills leads the team but Brown is just one behind the redshirt sophomore, while Bird needs just seven more to hit the mark.
The young Miami team, led by redshirt senior setter Haley Templeton, looks to hand the Panthers their first loss of the season. Templeton could reach 4,000 career assists this weekend, needing just 14 more to achieve the incredible accomplishment. Heading into Friday’s match, Templeton sits fifteenth among the active leaders in the NCAA for assists.
Pittsburgh enters Friday’s match ranked No. 8 in the nation with its perfect 13-0 record. The Panthers welcome the Canes with a 9-0 home record, including wins over then-No. 24 Cal Poly and then-No. 12 Washington. Pitt opened up ACC play with two sweeps against Virginia and Virginia Tech last weekend.
Following Friday’s match, the Canes will travel to Charlottesville, Va., to face the Cavaliers at 12 p.m., on Sunday. Virginia hosts Florida State on Friday with a 4-8 record.
For a complete look at the Hurricanes’ 2018 schedule, click here.
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