Virginia Volleyball hosts No. 12 Florida State, Miami

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Oct. 20, 2016

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia volleyball team (4-16, 1-7 ACC) hosts No. 12 Florida State on Friday at 7 p.m. and Miami on Saturday at 7 p.m. in Memorial Gymnasium.

Saturday’s match against Miami will be streamed live on the ACC Network Extra on WatchESPN. Links for the stream and live stats for both matches will be available on VirginiaSports.com.

Friday’s match has been designated as the Dig Pink match to raise awareness for breast cancer research. Fans are encouraged to wear pink and pink pom poms will be distributed. It is also a Sabre Rewards event with free Raising Cane’s for the first 350 students. Saturday’s admission will be free with a ticket from the Virginia football game set for 3 p.m. against North Carolina.

Virginia played two close matches last weekend. Virginia came back down two sets to send it to a fifth set with Wake Forest, but was edged 15-12 in the final set. The Cavaliers fell to Duke 3-1, with all four sets decided by five points or less and one requiring extra points.

UVA found its balance against Duke as nine different players record a kill, nine had a dig and nine picked up a block. Seniors Haley Kole (Tallahassee, Fla.) and Jasmine Burton (West Hills, Calif.) both finished with double-digit kills, recording 15 each. Kole and freshman Jennifer Wineholt (San Diego, Calif.) both tallied double-doubles as five players recorded double-figure digs.

Florida State (15-3, 8-1 ACC) has won four-straight matches, including a 3-0 sweep over Miami on Wednesday night. The Seminoles lead the ACC in hitting percentage (.263) and blocks (2.88 per set). Milica Kubura is averaging a team-high 3.01 kills per set and Melanie Keil leads the conference with 1.70 blocks per set and is second with a .348 hitting percentage.

Virginia and Florida State are meeting for the 51st time in the series. The Cavaliers have lost seven-straight matches to the Seminoles, including a 3-0 loss in Tallahassee, Fla. last season. UVA’s last win in the series came in Mem Gym on Oct. 31, 2010.

Miami (8-13, 2-7 ACC) is coming off a 3-0 loss to No. 12 Florida State on Wednesday. The Hurricanes are third in the ACC with 1.38 aces per set. Olga Strantzali leads the league with 4.59 kills per set, 0.42 service aces per set and 5.25 points per set.

Virginia has lost its last two meetings with Miami, including a 3-0 loss in Miami last season. The last time the two teams played in Memorial Gym, Virginia took the win, 3-1. The Cavaliers trail the Hurricanes 11-10 in the overall series.

Following this weekend, Virginia will be on the road at Georgia Tech on Oct. 28 and Clemson on Oct. 29.