UM’s volleyball team dominated the courts last season, playing one of the best seasons in program history, going 27-6 (ACC 16-4) while also winning three ranked matches against Pittsburgh and North Carolina twice in last year’s campaign.
Their regular-season success earned them a bid to the NCAA tournament for a fifth consecutive year. In the postseason, UM won their first-round matchup against Tulsa, but fell to Kansas in the next round.
Last season will not be forgotten, but the Hurricanes, along with head coach Jose “Keno” Gandara, who is heading into his 14th year at Miami, are ready for this year — seeking a sixth straight NCAA tournament appearance.
With the season around the corner, here is how the team is shaping up.
Replacing a program legend
Perhaps the toughest challenge the Canes had during the offseason was finding a replacement for outside hitter Flormarie Heredia Colon.
Heredia Colon was selected No. 10 overall in the 2025 Major League Volleyball (MLV) draft, and the legacy she left behind at the “U” is immense.
In her four years as a Hurricane, Heredia Colon littered her name all across the program record book — holding nearly every program record for kills.
To put her historic kill count into perspective, nine of the top-ten performances in program history came from her during the 2025 season.
In short, the 2025 All-American and All-ACC First Team recipient was a dominant one-woman scoring machine.
Senior outside hitter Flormarie Heredia Colon goes up for a spike in the 2nd set of Miami’s 2-3 loss to Indiana at the Knight Sports Complex on Friday, Aug. 29th.
Many new faces join
The question remains as to who will take Heredia Colon’s role for the 2026-27 Hurricanes, especially with Miami’s next three kill leaders last season no longer with the program.
In total, UM lost nine players, including the majority of their core six.
The Hurricanes have filled that void in the roster with five transfers: sophomores Asia Harvey and Jovana Zelenovic, seniors Avery Bain and Lal Akin, junior Adrianna Bridges and four freshmen.
All nine will be battling for a spot in the starting lineup that has been left wide open after last season.
Who will the starters be?
The only guaranteed pick for a spot in the starting six will be setter Ariana Rodriguez.
The redshirt junior is returning from a career season in which she tallied the second-most assists in a season for Miami (1265) and was named to the All-ACC First Team.
Besides Rodriguez, the rest of the lineup is seemingly up for grabs.
A top pick for one of the two outside hitters is Zelenovic. Standing at a towering 6-foot-7, the Serbian brings power to Coral Gables as she led Kansas last year in both kills and service aces, along with being named First Team All-Big 12 as a freshman.
As for the other outside hitter, Bain brings the most experience as a senior, but one of the younger players could still secure the spot.
Three players could get significant playing time next to the net in a middle blocker position.
Junior Logan Wiley played major minutes last season for Miami, while transfers Akin and Bridges bring both experience and proven success.
Finally, sophomore Olivia Durst is the likely pick at libero, as she is the only libero on the roster who played any sets last season.
A quick overview of the schedule
Miami landed just outside the preseason top 25, receiving the most votes for a team not in the poll.
As the Hurricanes hope to prove they not only belong in the rankings but also near the top, they have many tough challenges this season to showcase their skills.
In total, seven of Miami’s opponents were listed in the AVCA preseason poll: No. 17 Florida (Sept. 9), No. 14 Minnesota (Sept. 11), No. 11 SMU (Oct. 16), No. 4 Pitt (Oct. 18), No. 7 Louisville (Oct. 25), No. 5 Stanford (Nov. 6) and No. 19 North Carolina (Nov. 20; Nov. 27).
With a schedule as tough as theirs, a successful season could potentially bring a tournament regional to Coral Gables.
The season officially begins on Friday, Aug. 28, as UM heads up to East Lansing to face the Michigan State Spartans.
