Miami volleyball seals a sweep at North Texas

Head coach Jose "Keno" Gandara gives directions to his team on Saturday, April 20 at the Knight Sports Complex. Photo Credit: Jason Hill

The ’Canes stayed dominant as Miami volleyball closed out a three-game sweep at the University of North Texas Invitational this past Sunday against the host team, moving to an undefeated 3-0 on the season.

Coming off of two commanding wins against Rutgers and Colorado, UM looked to leave Denton, Texas with its record unscathed.

Their wishes went answered, winning all three sets against UNT for their third consecutive win of the weekend and the season.

Miami prevailed on both sides of the ball, tallying 48 kills and eight aces on offense, and countering with 49 digs and five blocks defensively.

Accolades were handed out to numerous athletes recognizing their performances over the tournament. Miami’s outside hitters garnered much attention, with junior Heredia Colon earning the title of Most Outstanding Tournament Player and sophomores Ava Carney and Grace Lopez being placed on the All-Tournament Team.

Set one saw the ‘Canes maintain a steady lead, squashing any runs on the part of UNT’s Mean Green. The set was ultimately determined by senior Paula Guersching’s ace and kill, which sparked a run for Miami that would give it a six-point lead. Colon claimed the 25th point in the set.

The second set began with a nine-point tie, and UNT grabbed its first lead at 15-13. The ‘Canes came back after Colon and fellow junior Dalia Wilson recorded consecutive kills, and Guersching contributed another ace to reclaim the lead. Lopez added her seventh kill to put North Texas away, 25-20.

UNT began set three with a 7-4 lead, and pushed the score to 17-12. The unlikely addition of redshirt freshman Bianka Lulić to the court resulted in her racking up three kills, which brought the Hurricanes back into contention, tying the set at 18. With both teams trading blows, a tie at 24 had tensions rising. 

Fortunately for Miami, a clutch block from Colon and Lulić secured the victory.

Miami hopes to continue its winning streak this weekend as it travels to Austin, Texas for matchups against the first-place Longhorns and Indiana Hoosiers.