The Miami Hurricanes Volleyball team gave it their all, but could not defeat a tough Florida State squad Tuesday night.
After taking a 2-1 game lead, the Hurricanes (3-7) were unable to put away the Seminoles (7-3) in a 30-27, 24-30, 30-22, 12-30, 12-15 decision. The deciding game five was especially frustrating as the ‘Canes lost on a borderline final serve.
“It was a competitive match,” Head Coach Nicole Lantagne-Welch said. “I’m disappointed in the result, we just came up a little too short.”
The ‘Canes were aggressive from the start, taking game one 30-27. Outside hitter Sara Duncan led the way with seven kills, putting the Seminole defense to the test. Francheska Savage, outside hitter, also had an impressive first game, with six kills.
Game two did favor the ‘Canes as FSU came away with a 30-24 win to tie Miami. Florida State middle blocker Brianna Barry held Miami under wraps, scoring kill after kill.
The Hurricanes took an impressive 22-12 lead in game three and never looked back. The Seminoles came up with four quick points and made it as close as 25-20, but the Hurricanes held on with a 30-22 win.
The ‘Canes just needed one more win in game four to seal the deal, however the Seminoles had other ideas.
After taking a quick 8-4 lead over Miami in game four, FSU scored 10 straight points to go ahead 18-4. Miami had six unforced errors and only eight kills as they ended up losing 30-12.
“Game four did not represent how Miami plays volleyball,” said middle blocker Ciara Michel who led Miami with 19 kills overall.
However, in game five the ‘Canes fought down to the wire.
“We came into game five with a changed mindset,” Michel said.
Miami took a 12-10 advantage, with aggressive play from the Hurricanes front court. Yet, the ‘Canes could not hold onto the lead as FSU scored four quick points to go up 14-12. Needing one more point, the Seminoles smashed the ball into the far right corner. The serve looked to have gone out of bounds, but the referees decided that the ball was in fair territory, giving FSU the game five win and the match.
“This game really, really hurt,” said Duncan, who finished the game with 13 total kills. “We had moments of greatness, but we just had trouble finishing.”
The Hurricanes take on Boston College tonight at 8 p.m. in the Knight Sports Complex.
Jordan Liebhaber may be contacted at j.liebhaber@umiami.edu.