Coming off a back-and-forth five-set win against Stanford two days prior, no one would’ve blamed Miami Volleyball for a slow start against Cal on Sunday.
However, the Canes marched into Freeman Indoor Stadium and made quick work of California, taking down the Golden Bears in a sweep (25-19, 25-22, 25-17).
The opening set was back and forth between the ACC sides as Cal jumped to an early 11-9 lead. Miami clawed back ahead with kills from Asia Harvey and Sonja Danilovic, ultimately winning the set 25-19.
Setter Ariana Rodriguez continued her stellar form following her achievement of 3,000 career assists on Friday. She tallied 42 assists against the Golden Bears.
The second set started competitively again for both teams, and the score was tied 8-8 within the first few moments of the set. Logan Wiley again had a kill, followed by an ace from Denitsa Angelova and an assist from Rodriguez to give the Canes an 11-8 lead which was extended to 18-13.
A timeout was taken by the Bears, but it failed to make a difference. Right after, Angelova and Rodriguez teamed up for a great block that gave the Canes another point, riding the momentum to a 25-17 set win.
The third set started with the Bears scoring the first point. Golden Bear outside hitter Abby Zimmerman blocked Miami’s attack, but Miami answered back with two points immediately.
The Hurricanes continued to set the pace, jumping out to a 16-13 lead before Harvey and Wiley teamed up for another block to give Miami the final point at 25-17.
The Bears tried to get a few points to catch up with the Canes at 16-13, but the Canes kept going and closed the set 25-17.
UM’s stats were impressive, with 49 kills, 46 digs and 45 assists. This is the fourth consecutive win for Canes volleyball.
The Canes will go on the road for five straight games until Nov. 27 when they come back to face North Carolina.