The Hurricanes suffered a heartbreaking loss to No. 17 Florida State in Tallahassee Wednesday night, losing 15-11 in the fifth set of the match.
The team rallied after dropping the first two sets to send the match into a fifth, but the Canes weren’t able to complete the comeback.
Miami (7-4, 0-1) was plagued by service and hitting errors in the first two sets. The team’s passing was also inconsistent. Many weren’t close enough to the net, which resulted in fewer hitting options for sophomore setter Haley Templeton to work with. Florida State’s monstrous blocking, which is ranked 20th in the country, posed as a steep challenge to the Miami hitters.
Despite this obstacle, senior outside hitter Taylor Scott managed to come away with five kills in the first set, and nine kills in the second. Miami kept up with the Seminoles in both sets, even boasting a 15-10 lead in the second, but eventually the game got away from them and they lost 25-21 after dropping the first set 25-20.
“It was kind of two matches in one,” Miami head coach Jose Gandara said to HurricaneSports.com. “The first couple of games we weren’t ourselves and I think the emotions of the match and the situation got the best of us. But I’m proud of how they responded after that.”
In the third and fourth sets, the Canes displayed their vitality by rallying and defeating the Seminoles 25-19 and 25-20. Miami never stopped swinging to kill, celebrating small wins or fighting to keep plays alive.
The offense once again demonstrated its dominance. Scott and sophomore outside hitter Olga Strantzali both recorded double doubles for the match with Scott tallying 20 kills and 10 digs and Strantzali adding 17 kills and 12 digs. Templeton also impressed with a staggering 54 assists.
Although Florida State (8-4, 1-0) is known for its blocking, the Canes also made a strong case for their ability to block, coming away with eight for the night. Redshirt junior outside hitter Kelsie Groot led the team with five blocks.
“This is the first game of ACC play and every match is going to be tough,” Scott said to HurricaneSports.com. “It’s good to know that we are capable of bouncing back when we are up against a wall.”
The Canes next face Louisville at 12:30 p.m. Sunday in Kentucky.