The women’s volleyball team fell to ACC opponent and longtime rival Florida State in five games on Tuesday night at the Knight Sports Complex.
“Losing to your rival hurts more than losing to anyone else,” Jill Robinson, setter, said
Both teams fought to the end as the match went the distance. Each game was won by a small margin.
In the end, the Seminoles secured their first win on ‘Canes turf. The victory brings their season record to 10-16 overall, going 8-10 against ACC opponents.
After a loss to Virginia last week and Tuesday’s defeat, the ‘Canes now have a 13-13 record and are also 8-10 in the ACC.
“I thought we played much better than we had in our last match, so it was nice improvement in our passing and ball handling,” Head Coach Nicole Lantagne Welch said. “It was a tightly fought match that was point-for-point. It was a tough battle between two teams that are making kind of a turnaround at this point in the season.”
The first game went to the Hurricanes 30-24. The game started out hotly contested, setting a pattern for the remainder of the match. The teams were often tied or within a point from each other throughout.
Miami’s margin increased after blocks by Frannie Savage, Karla Johnson and Ciara Michel. The ‘Canes scored their final point off an error made by FSU.
The second game was a disappointment for the ‘Canes, who were hoping to repeat their 2004 sweep of the ‘Noles. After a kill by sophomore outside hitter Makini Thompson, the Seminoles clinched a 31-29 win.
Miami came back from four points down in the third game to secure a 32-30 victory.
In the fourth game, the ‘Canes opened the scoring but soon surrendered the lead. The Hurricanes took an early lead but were unable to maintain dominance. The ‘Noles tied up the match 32-30, forcing a fifth game.
Florida State led throughout the majority of the final game. The ‘Canes fought back, pulling within one point at 14-13. FSU closed out the win 15-13.
“We had a few more problems stopping them and they were able to slow us down a little,” Lantagne Welch said. “That was the difference.”
Johnson recorded 23 kills during the match, bringing her three closer to breaking the school record, set by Valeria Tipiana in 2004.
“We count on Karla for a lot; she really carries a load for us,” Lantagne Welch said. “She had a good match and we’re excited because she’ll get it in the next match.”
The Hurricanes will take on North Carolina tonight at 7 p.m. at home.
“I think we’ll be fine in [this] game,” Robinson said. “You have your downfalls but you can bounce back.”
Stacey Arnold can be contacted at s.arnold@umiami.edu.