Following their season-opening victory, the Miami Hurricanes kept the momentum going with a 3-0 sweep over the Colorado Buffaloes on Saturday evening at The Super Pit. This sweep, their first of the season, advanced the ‘Canes to a 2-0 record.
The ‘Canes outperformed the Buffaloes in both offensive and defensive metrics. Miami put 44 kills on the board with a .417 hitting percentage, compared to Colorado’s 21 kills at a .084 average. Additionally, Miami led in service aces with 11 compared to Colorado’s 2.
On the defensive end, Miami recorded 8 blocks while Colorado had 1. The ‘Canes also outdug the Buffaloes 41 to 29.
Set one involved both teams trading runs, but the ‘Canes ultimately prevailed with a score of 25-22. Sophomore outside hitter Ava Carney led Miami’s offense with eight kills, while fellow sophomore Grace Lopez added five kills and two service aces. Miami’s defense was crucial, featuring a notable double block from junior outside hitter Flomarie Heredia Colon and freshman middle blocker Bianka Lulić, along with a single block from redshirt freshman setter Ariana Rodriguez.
Building on their strong performance from the first set, the ‘Canes powered through set two with a 25-11 victory. The Buffaloes initially led 4-2 in the set due to a few errors, but Miami quickly turned the set around following a kill by Carney. The ‘Canes went on a five-point run contributed by two service aces from Lopez and kills from Hederia Colon and junior middle blocker Dalia Wilson. Later in the set, the ‘Canes again delivered a 13-1 scoring run, with Lopez contributing three kills, two aces, and a block. This performance from Lopez turned a slim 12-10 lead into a 25-11 blowout.
Set three didn’t go much differently as set two, also resulting in a dominant 25-11 ‘Canes victory over the Buffaloes. The ‘Canes recorded 13 kills, three aces, and three blocks in the final set to clinch the win.
The Canes will stay in Denton, TX., for the final day of the UNT Invitational. They will compete against North Texas tomorrow at 4 p.m. ET, live on ESPN+.