Canes Set to Go Dancing Again

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Alanys Viera doesn’t take any of it for granted.

The senior, a setter for the Hurricanes volleyball team, has never missed playing in the NCAA Tournament since she arrived in Coral Gables as a freshman in 2021.

Still, when she saw Miami’s name pop up on the screen on Selection Sunday, Viera couldn’t help but get excited about the opportunity in front of her and her team – especially since the Hurricanes weren’t postseason regulars when she made the decision to join the program during the recruiting process.

“It’s definitely a privilege, for sure. I committed here super young and when I committed, they were not making the tournament at the time,” Viera said. “And I knew coming in here that’s what I wanted to make this program: one that is consistently in the tournament. So, to look back on these last four years and know that I’ve helped create that legacy for us, where it’s a standard now, I just hope it continues to get better and better.”

The Hurricanes (21-10) will open NCAA Tournament play on Friday when they take on South Dakota State of Summitt League on Friday at the Devaney Center in Lincoln, Nebraska.

A win there could set Miami up for a potential second-round matchup against powerhouse Nebraska, but the Hurricanes aren’t letting themselves think too far ahead.

They know the Jackrabbits (27-2), who won the Summitt League regular season title and opened the season with a 22-match win streak, are a formidable foe, as is any opponent in the tournament.

“They have a good record. They have some experience, some grad students and some seniors and they’re good volleyball players,” said Miami head coach Jose “Keno” Gandara. “They don’t make a lot of errors. It’s going to be a good match. It’s a good opponent. We face that every year. We just hope that we are able to manage our emotions, number one, and be able to do what we need to do on our side of the net, not get caught up trying to attack or defend somebody and just make sure that we take care of the way we want to play.”

For much of the season, the Hurricanes have been able to care of business on their side of the net.

Miami enters the tournament having notched four wins over ranked opponents, including a five-set upset of then-No. 1 Texas in early September, a sweep of then No. 25 Arkansas at the 305 Challenge in late September, a five-set win over then No. 5 Stanford in early November and a five-set win over then No. 15 Georgia Tech late last month.

All of those wins, the Hurricanes know, have helped prepare them for this moment and given them the kind of confidence they need to be successful in Lincoln, and hopefully beyond.

“I think it’s really helped us grow with our confidence. I think in past years, we’ve struggled passing that second round because of our confidence,” said Viera, who has 247 assists this season and is averaging 3.48 assists per set. “We get there, and we see these big teams with big names and we’re like, ‘Let’s just go out there and see what happens.’ But I think now, with how many upsets we’ve done this year, our confidence has grown, and we’re going to go and play those teams, and we could upset them. And I think the whole nation knows that, too. If you see all the comments on social media, everyone’s saying, ‘Oh, Miami’s a dangerous team.’ Everyone knows we can upset [teams], and I think this year, we believe it ourselves. I think that’s going to be the biggest factor.”

Along with that confident level of play and their resume, the Hurricanes take two All-ACC selections with them to the tournament: outside hitters Flormarie Heredia Colon and Grace Lopez.

Heredia Colon, a junior from the Dominican Republic, earned first-team All-ACC honors for the first time in her Miami career after leading the ACC in kills (490) and points (562.5) for the majority of the season. She was second in the conference in points per set (4.93) and kills per set (4.30).

Lopez, meanwhile, earned second-team All-ACC recognition for the second straight year after finishing the regular season fifth in the ACC in total points (470) and sixth in total kills (400).

Between that level of play, the experience, and the confidence they are taking with them into the NCAA Tournament, the Hurricanes say they feel prepared for the challenge that awaits. And they’re looking forward to continuing to grow the program, so that at Miami, advancing to the NCAA Tournament every year continues to be an expectation.

“Being part of a tournament team four years, what can I say? I know this program hadn’t gone since 2017 and now we’ve gone in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024,” said senior defensive specialist Yaidaliz Rosado. “It’s special and there are a lot of emotions, with it now being my last year.”

Added Gandara, “We feel fortunate every year we get in, but it’s definitely something that I think our program should be expecting and striving for ever year for sure. … Getting to the tournament is fun and every athlete wants to win. Now, we get a chance to do it, and maybe more than once.”