17 Kills from Olga Strantzali Leads Miami to 3-0 Sweep of BC

  0 Braden Keith | September 30th, 2016 | ACC, College - Women's Indoor, News, Video

Match Stats

The Miami Hurricanes played a very tight lineup, with just 8 players, each seeing action in all three sets, as they swept away the Boston College Eagles at home on Friday.

Boston College had their first set in the opening frame, where they pushed the Hurricanes to the brink, but from there-on-out, it was all Miami. Neither team hit particularly well, but 12 team blocks from Miami helped hold the Eagles to .020 hitting overall in the match, including a -.091 hitting average in the decisive 3rd set.

“I thought we served well,” Miami head coach Jose “Keno” Gandara said. “We managed our game a little better. That was good enough to win tonight. Hopefully we continue to get better in other areas, but we definitely can pass a little better. We blocked 12 balls. I was happy with our serving, blocking and transition hitting.”

Olga Strantzali led Miami, as she has all season, with 17 kills on 36 swings, hitting .306 overall. That 5.6 kills-per-set on Friday pushes her to an ACC-leading 242 kills and 4.4 kills/set.

Strantzali has also been a potent server all year, and while this wasn’t her best service game of the year (2 errors and no aces), she was picked up by freshman teammate Sara Duque, who had 3 aces in the match.

Boston College didn’t have any players in double digit kills. Jill Strockis led the team with 9 kills on 28 swings (.214 hitting average), and also chipped in 7 digs.

Press Releases

Courtesy Miami Athletics:

CORAL GABLES, Fla. – The University of Miami volleyball team earned its first ACC win of the season, sweeping Boston College on Friday night.

The Hurricanes (7-8, 1-2 ACC) defended their home court against the Eagles (5-8, 0-3 ACC), opening the weekend’s two-match homestand with a victory.

“I thought we served well,” Miami head coach Jose “Keno” Gandara said. “We managed our game a little better. That was good enough to win tonight. Hopefully we continue to get better in other areas, but we definitely can pass a little better. We blocked 12 balls. I was happy with our serving, blocking and transition hitting.”

The first set was a tight battle, as neither team led by more than four points. Miami and Boston College would reach a stalemate at 21 points and the Eagles called timeout to regroup after a three-point streak by the Hurricanes. Miami would push forward with their charge and finish off the first set victory, 25-23.

Miami took the second set, 25-17, powered by six kills from junior Olga Strantzali. The Hurricanes also had three service aces in the set, helping Miami head into the intermission leading Boston College two sets to none.

“We served better in the end and we passed better,” Strantzali said. “That was the key. I feel like when we pass well and when we serve well, we have the opportunity to win.”

The Hurricanes came out of the break on fire, taking a 16-5 lead in the third set. Miami would continue to build off the momentum of its fast start and close out the third set, 25-14, to secure its first win in conference play.

Strantzali powered Miami’s attack with a team-best 17 kills while hitting .306 for the match. The junior added eight digs and three blocks against Boston College.

Anna Haak recorded six kills, adding five digs, three blocks and a service ace, while Kolby Bird had four kills, two digs and a block.

Sakile Simmons had a team-high seven blocks, finishing just one block shy of tying her career high. Fellow middle blocker Lucia Pampana had five blocks and two kills.

“I think I was really focused on my technique when it comes to watching the ball when I go to block,” Simmons said. “I really think focusing on one play at a time, one set at a time really helps me out.”

Hannah Sorensen distributed 26 assists, adding a career-high four blocks, six digs and a service ace. Sylvia Hernandez recorded seven digs, while Sara Duque had a career-high three service aces and a career-best eight digs in her first career start.

Miami will face Syracuse at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, which will Breast Cancer Awareness Day at the James L. Knight Sports Complex. Pink t-shirts will be given away while supplies last.

Following this weekend’s matches, the Hurricanes will hit the road for a pair of matches against NC State and North Carolina. Miami will play at NC State at 7 p.m. on Oct. 7, while they are set to face North Carolina at 1 p.m. on Oct. 9.

All Hurricanes volleyball home matches are played at the James L. Knight Sports Complex on the University of Miami campus. Admission is free. For a complete look at the Hurricanes’ 2016 schedule, click here.

For all the latest information on Miami Hurricanes volleyball, follow the official Twitter feed, @CanesVB, or “Like Us” on Facebook at facebook.com/UMVolleyball. The program is also on Instagram.

 

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About Braden Keith

Braden Keith

Braden Keith is the Editor-in-Chief and co-founder of VolleyMob.com. Braden's first foray into sports journalism came in 2010, when he launched a swimming website called The Swimmers' Circle. Two years later, he joined SwimSwam.com as a co-founder. Long huge fans of volleyball, when Braden and the SwimSwam partners sought an opportunity to …

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