CORAL GABLES, Fla.– “We prepare the same for every game because our next game is always the biggest game of the season,” Priscilla Hernandez said.
With the start of conference play beginning Friday at Wake Forest at 6 p.m., nothing changes for the Miami volleyball program in terms of preparation. With last weekend’s wins in the back of their minds, the Hurricanes seems to have found their rhythm at just the right time.
“Those two wins were as big as any win during the year,” Hernandez said. “It goes toward our record, but we also started to get a flow with each other. I feel like we connected more last weekend and ending with those two wins was really good for us.”
Miami opens the season against the Deacons, for the second consecutive season. The Canes opened the last season, winning the opening ACC home match and dropping the road contest in five sets.
Outside hitter Elizaveta Lukianova led the Canes in last season’s opening conference match with 10 kills and three blocks. The redshirt junior knows how competitive conference play and is taking it upon herself to be more of a leader to her younger teammates.
“As an upperclassman, I try to make sure that the younger players understand that the ACC is a great conference with great teams and great players,” Lukinaova said. “You have to fight for every single point on the court to prove that we deserve to represent the ACC. I’m trying to show them what is expected, how to act and behave, because that’s something I didn’t do last season.”
Defense will be an emphasis for the Canes against the Deacons, as Wake Forest sits second in conference in hitting percentage at .269 and fourth in kills per set with 13.34, while Caitlyn Della ranks second in hitting with her .445 percentage and 82 kills this season.
Lukianova and freshman Kennedy Prince rank in the top 10 in kills per set with Prince in eighth with 3.66 per set, registering a team-leading 117 kills after eight matches, while Lukianova ranks ninth with 3.56 per set and 96 kills. With two power hitters on her side, freshman setter Savannah Vach sits third in the conference with 10.43 assists per set.