After playing five sets against the Boston College Eagles on Saturday in Chestnut Hill, the Hurricanes came up short despite a tough fight in their last match of the season.
Miami (17-11, 10-8 ACC) claimed the first set 25-18 after some excellent serving by freshman Grace Lopez, who had a 4-0 serving streak, putting Miami up 14-10. Lopez had 20 kills, five blocks, and two aces during the match.
Sophomore Flormarie Heredia-Colon made a solo block in the first set. After a block assist from graduate student Janice Leao and fifth-year senior Savannah Vach, the ‘Canes were up 18-11 on Boston College (19-13, 8-10 ACC).
Things quickly took a turn when the Eagles went on a 5-0 scoring streak, but Miami could keep the lead and earn the first set 25-18.
Set two was a close battle, with the score at 19-19. Two kills in a row by Leao and redshirt senior Angela Grieve gave Miami a 1-point lead over Boston College but was not enough to claim the second set, giving it to Boston 25-23.
The third set began with a promising start for the Eagles, who wanted to keep up the momentum from winning the previous set. The Eagles held a strong lead over the ‘Canes for most of the set, but the lead got shortened to only two points after a kill by junior Peyman Yardimci and a block by graduate student Abby Casiano. However, Boston College kept their lead for the whole set, ending with a score of 25-19.
The ‘Canes needed to win the fourth set, and it looked likely as soon as it started after multiple blocks and a 5-0 run with two kills by Lopez. A seven-point lead came when Miami scored a nine-point run and only allowed one point by the Eagles. The ‘Canes claimed the fourth set, forcing the match to go into a fifth set.
The final set was neck-in-neck, but Boston College pulled away at the end and won 15-12, earning them the match.
Although the regular season is over for the Hurricanes, they hope to qualify for the NCAA tournament. The selection show for the tournament will be held on Nov. 26.