The University of Miami women’s volleyball team continued their slump as they dropped two road games to Boston College and Maryland this weekend.
Boston College swept the Hurricanes and Maryland sailed past the team, 3-1. The losses plunge the ‘Canes to 8-10 on the season and second to last place in Atlantic Coast Conference play (2-7).
After coming off four straight home losses, the ‘Canes went into the Boston College game looking to start a winning streak. Unfortunately for the Hurricanes, the night was not theirs to take.
In game one, Miami was unable to defend the offense Boston College was throwing at them, resulting in a loss, 30-22. The ‘Canes offense was solid with 17 kills but the Eagles were slightly better with 20 kills and a hitting percentage of .400. Sophomore Genny Mayhew was as in sync as she has been this season, allowing her to tally nine kills.
Both teams were sluggish in game two, but a 10-5 run by Boston College put Miami in a hole it couldn’t dig itself out of, resulting in a BC win 30-24. Miami only had two more kills than errors.
In game three, the Eagles and the Hurricanes were at a deadlock until another great run by BC put the game out of reach for Miami. The Eagles recorded another 20-kill game which proved to be too much for the ‘Canes.
Mayhew finished with 16 kills and added seven digs. Freshman Katie Gallagher had 32 assists and sophomore Cassie Loessberg had a match high with 17 digs. Senior Ciara Michel was a force at the net having nine total blocks. In the past two games against the Eagles, Michel has had 17 total blocks.
The following night, the Hurricanes traveled to take on Head Coach Nicole Lantagne Welch’s alma mater, the University of Maryland. For the second straight game, the ‘Canes couldn’t stop their opponent’s offense in game one. The Terrapins racked up 16 kills and a hitting percentage above .400, which resulted in a 30-16 victory over the Hurricanes.
Both teams were evenly matched in game two, but too many errors by the ‘Canes gave the Terrapins the game, 30-27.
After the intermission, the ‘Canes bounced back by taking game three, 30-22. The Hurricane offense found its rhythm and accounted for 20 kills.
The ‘Canes tried to knot the match at two games a piece but failed to do so as the Terrapins pulled out a 3-1 victory to end the match.
Junior Ashley Woods and freshman Maria Andersson led the team with 15 and 11 kills, respectively. Loessberg had 14 digs on the night and Gallagher finished with 23 assists and three serving aces. Michel added six kills and five total blocks.
The pitfall for the Hurricanes was once again the number of errors recorded. The ‘Canes committed 47 total errors compared to Maryland’s 22.
The ‘Canes have dropped six straight matches, marking the longest losing streak in school history.
Lelan LeDoux may be contacted at l.ledoux@umiami.edu.