The volleyball squad lost their ACC opener Friday night against rival Florida State in Tallahassee. The Seminoles swept the ‘Canes, who dropped to 6-4 overall and 0-1 in the ACC.
“We were extremely tentative right from the start, and you’re not going to be able to compete or win games in the ACC if you are playing back on your heels,” Head Coach Nicole Lantagne Welch said.
With more than 800 people in attendance, the Hurricanes struggled throughout the match in part due to the harsh atmosphere. The Hurricanes lost games one and two 30-17 and 30-24, respectively. The Seminoles won the third match by defeating the ‘Canes 30-22.
This is the first time this season the ‘Canes were swept by an opponent.
Senior Ciara Michel began game one with a kill but the tone did not carry over throughout the rest of the game. FSU began to jump on the Hurricanes and forced them to have nine errors. The ‘Canes took a step back with a timeout, which momentarily boosted the team’s play.
Florida State had four serving aces in their last five points to cap the game.
In the second game both teams seemed evenly matched before a FSU run put the ‘Canes in a hole. The ‘Noles took a 21-10 lead, but a spark by the ‘Canes defense cut the lead to three, 22-19. After a FSU timeout, the ‘Noles regained composure and pulled out a victory, 30-24.
Sophomore Genny Mayhew had five kills and sophomore Cassie Loessberg ended the game with eight digs.
In game three, the teams were at a deadlock until another successful run by Florida State put the ‘Canes down and allowed the ‘Noles to pull away and complete the sweep.
Michel finished with two total blocks, six kills and an attack percentage of .556.
“Ciara had a great match and we just didn’t pass the ball well enough to get her enough sets,” Lantagne Welch said.
Freshman Maria Andersson led the Hurricanes with seven kills and Mayhew contributed five. Loessberg was the only one with double digit digs with 12. Freshman Katie Gallagher was held to 23 assists.
The ‘Canes were unable to stop FSU offense, which consisted of Mira Djuric who had 13 kills and five serving aces. Brianna Barry was a bruiser at the net, with six total blocks.
As a team, the Seminoles racked up 36 kills and 14 serving aces. Miami had 26 attacks and 10 serving errors.
In two of the three games, the ‘Canes attack percentage was below zero, compared with the Seminoles’ .200 in all three games.
Lelan LeDoux may be contacted at l.ledoux@umiami.edu.