Canes Top Clemson to Finish ACC Play in 3rd Place Tie with NC State

MATCH NOTES

• Miami (Fla.) def. Clemson 3-1 (23-25, 25-19, 28-26, 25-15)
• Miami moves to 21-5 overall, 15-5 ACC
• Clemson drops to 7-25 overall, 2-18 ACC
• Clemson, South Carolina
• Attendance: 631
• Box Score
• VolleyMob Top 25 Power Rankings (Week 14)
• VolleyMob Breakdown of Latest RPI

The (RV) Miami Hurricanes defeated the Clemson Tigers in four sets on Friday afternoon, ending the regular season in a third-place tie with North Carolina State in the ACC.

Currently ranked No. 31 in the latest RPI, Miami will learn their NCAA Tournament fate on Sunday, Nov. 26 at 9 p.m. ET on ESPNU.

Against Clemson, three Canes registered double-digit kills: senior outside Olga Strantzali (17 kills), freshman outside Elizaveta Lukianova (13 kills) and junior middle blocker Lucia Pampana (10 kills). Other key contributors included junior setter Haley Templeton (41 assists) and senior libero Sylvia Hernandez (17 digs).

For the Tigers, sophomore outside Kaylin Korte recorded a double-double (16 kills, 10 digs), while senior setter Keely Hayes put up 29 assists and fellow senior Kennedy Wilson-Talmadge added six digs and a service ace in their final collegiate match.

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Courtesy: Miami Athletics

Volleyball Closes Out Regular Season With a Comeback Victory

CLEMSON, S.C. – For the eighth time this season, the University of Miami volleyball team fought its way back to a victory as it wrapped up the regular season with a 3-1 triumph over Clemson Friday afternoon.

The Hurricanes (21-5, 15-5 ACC) dropped the opening set to the Tigers (7-25, 2-18 ACC) but won three straight afterwards for a 23-25, 25-19, 28-26, 25-15 win. The Canes are now winners of 11 out of the last 12 contest against Clemson.

Miami had three players in double figures offensively – senior outside hitter Olga Strantzali (17 kills), redshirt freshman outside hitter Elizaveta Lukianova (13) and junior middle blocker Lucia Pampana (10). Redshirt junior setter Haley Templeton was everywhere the Hurricanes needed her, finishing the match with 41 assists, six digs, three kills and two service aces. Sophomore setter Hannah Sorensen had three of the team’s seven aces off the bench.

Defensively, senior libero Sylvia Hernandez had a match-high 17 digs to lead the way as the Hurricanes outdug the Tigers, 48-41. Pampana picked up a team-best six blocks, including one solo effort at the net. Clemson had two players – Alyssa Deloney and Megan McGinley – with seven blocks apiece to outblock Miami 12-7.

Clemson won the opening set due to better execution in the closing stage, scoring three of the last four points after the two teams were tied at 22-22. Kaylin Korte, who was the Tigers’ leading scorer with 16 kills on the day, grabbed six kills on a .600 hitting. Lukianova and Pampana led a Hurricanes team that hit a .357 in the frame with four kills apiece. Miami fought itself out of an early 10-6 hole, but could not sustain the momentum to win the set.

The Canes found themselves in a similar situation in set two, trailing by as many as four at 10-6, but responded appropriately with a 6-0 run that gave them momentum to prevail in the frame. Lukianova (five) and fellow rookie Cameron Dobbs (four) combined for nine of Miami’s 16 kills in the frame and hit a combined .667 to lead the charge as the Hurricanes improved on their first-set attack percentage to hit .375 – their best in the match.

The third set was a game of nerves, which was won by the Hurricanes in extra points. It featured 14 tied scores, nine of them after the 16-16 marks. The Hurricanes faced three set points, but ultimately won three straight points when it mattered the most to claim the set. After the teams combined for eight straight points off their opponent’s errors late in the set, Strantzali managed to finish a successful play for 28-26 in the Canes’ favor.

A 7-0 Miami run set the tempo for what was to come in the fourth set, which the Canes won by a double-digit margin. Middle blocker Lucia Pampana had three blocks in the fourth set alone and contributed one of the team’s 10 digs that helped the Canes limit Clemson to a -.148 hitting. For the second time in the match, Templeton settled a set from behind the service line with her second ace of the match.

The Hurricanes’ postseason fate will be determined by the NCAA Championship selection show, which will be broadcast on ESPN U Sunday at 9 p.m.

Courtesy: Clemson Athletics

Volleyball Falls in Hard-Fought Senior Day Match Against Miami

CLEMSON, S.C. – Seniors Keely Hayes and Kennedy Wilson-Talmadge shined in the final match of their career in a Clemson uniform as the Tigers fell to Miami (25-23, 19-25, 26-28, 15-25) Friday afternoon in Jervey Gym. Hayes tallied 29 assists, six digs and 2.0 blocks, while Wilson-Talmadge added six digs and a service ace as a defensive specialist. Sophomore outside hitter Kaylin Korte notched her fifth double-double of the season, posting 16 kills on a season-high 49 swings and 10 digs.

The Tigers came out swinging to open the first, grabbing an early 10-6 lead before surrendering five straight points to give the Hurricanes a one-point advantage. The two teams were neck-and-neck deep into the third as a Korte kill on a pass from Hayes tied the set at 22-22. The Tigers went on to take three of the next four points to win the first, including the final play that saw another kill from Korte on pass from Hayes.

Clemson carried momentum into the second, again taking a 10-6 lead. Miami would once again go on a run to take the lead, this time 6-0, giving the Hurricanes a 12-10 advantage midway through the second. With the score 14-12 in favor of Miami, the Hurricanes strung together a 6-1 run, which proved to be the difference, going on to take the set, 25-19, and tie the match 1-1 entering the break.

Coming out of the break, the two teams were tied early on (6-6) before Clemson posted seven unanswered points, giving the Tigers a 13-7 lead. The Hurricanes quickly made an unanswered run of their own, cutting the Miami deficit to one. A Miami service error later in the set would tie the match at 23-23. After trading four straight points, the Tigers took a 26-25 lead on another Hurricane service error. Back-to-back Tiger hitting errors followed by a Miami kill would seal the set, 28-26, in favor of the Hurricanes, giving them a 2-1 lead after winning the third set, which saw 14 tie scores and five lead changes.

Hayes, a transfer from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, closes out her career with 1,442 career assists, 1,119 of which came as a Tiger in 62 matches and 200 sets played from 2016-17. Wilson-Talmadge ends her career after joining the team in 2015. The Orlando, Fla., native tallied her 400th dig in the third set against the Hurricanes today, ending her career 402 total digs. Wilson-Talmadge competed in 63 matches and 201 sets played.