Canes Drop 3-1 Decision to FSU

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Miami volleyball dropped a 3-1 decision at home to Florida State on Thursday night.

In its first game at home in two weeks, the Canes dropped its third match of the season despite winning the first set for the seventh-straight match.

Miami took the early 1-0 lead after winning the set, 25-23. In a back-and-forth battle that featured nine tied scores and four lead changes, the Canes edged out the Seminoles 19 to 14 in kills.

The Seminoles took the early lead, but Miami went on a five-point rally to tie the set at 14. Redshirt senior Elizaveta Lukianova recorded eight early kills, while Janet Kalaniuvalu added six to give Miami the 1-0 lead in its best hitting set of the match at .341.

Florida State tied the match at one with a 25-21 set win led by Morgan Chacon’s six kills. Despite Lukianova adding six more kills and Savannah Vach recording 18 assists, the Seminoles had its best offensive set and hit .400 to tie the match.

Janet Kalaniuvalu added five of her season-best 19 kills in the third set to pace the Canes in the set, but Florida State held the Canes to its lowest hitting percentage of the match at .250 and would drop the set, 25-19.

The Seminoles would take the set, and the match, with a 25-19 set win led by five service aces and 13 kills. Kalaniuvalu tallied six more kills, while Vach added 11 more of her 55 assists in the final set.

Miami and Florida State return to action for the Canes’ final match of the season at 3 p.m.