The women’s volleyball team opened a busy weekend with an important win against conference foe West Virginia as the ‘Canes swept the Mountaineers 3-0 on Friday night.
Miami came out strong, taking the first game 30-23, and never looked back, winning the next two games 30-17 and 30-24.
Sophomore middle blocker Karla Johnson led the Hurricanes with seven blocks on the night and the ‘Canes had 12 total blocks as they completely overpowered the Mountaineers.
Miami held WVU to a .104 hitting percentage and earned their eighth consecutive win against Big East opponents at the Knight Sports Complex.
Junior Jamie Grass came up with 20 digs in the win while junior outside hitter Elizabeth Tyson led the Hurricanes with 13 kills.
The win put the Hurricanes at 19-6 overall with a 7-1 record in the Big East. The loss dropped West Virginia to 16-7 overall with a Big East record of 2-6.
After a somber Saturday night for obvious reasons, UM came out on a mission to move ahead of second place Pittsburgh in the Big East standings. Things ended much like they did Saturday night for the football team, however.
After a commanding first game win, the ‘Canes lost the next 3 games because they were never able to take a commanding lead at the beginning of each game.
“We came out on fire in game one, ” Head Coach Nicole Lantagne Welch said. “And things were going our way, but unfortunately we got a little off in games two and three.”
Karla Johnson led the ‘Canes with 17 kills.
“Karla had an incredible match with a career high in kills,” Lantagne Welch said. “She was on fire blocking and attacking as she was ready to go tonight.”
Miami fell apart in the final three games, getting away from what helped them win the first game of the afternoon. The Hurricanes will have an opportunity to rebound in their final Big East matches of the season.
“Any time you lose it’s a setback, especially to a conference opponent,” Welch said. “We have a few big matches coming up, including the Big East Tournament.”
Miami returns to the court tonight at 7 p.m. against Central Florida in the first volleyball match ever at the Convocation Center.