Canes Set to Face Kansas in NCAA Tournament

The Hurricanes enter the tournament with a resume that was bolstered in part by a late-season surge.

Miami won six of its last seven matches and during that stretch, rallied to upset then-10^th-ranked Georgia Tech 18-25, 25-22, 25-22, 25-22.

And all season long, the Hurricanes’ trio of veteran leaders Vach, Grieve and senior middle blocker Janice Leao – helped set the tone for Miami.

Leao, who spent part of the offseason training with the USA Volleyball Collegiate National Team, earned first-team All-ACC recognition after leading Miami in both total blocks (93.5) and blocks per set (0.8). Both numbers ranked second in the conference.

Vach, meanwhile, earned All-ACC Second Team honors after totaling 1,136 assists this season. In Miami’s regular-season finale, she surpassed the 4,000-assist mark, becoming just the fourth Hurricane in program history to reach that mark.

Grieve, who led Miami in points (476) and kills (411), also earned All-ACC Second Team recognition, while outside hitter Flormarie Heredia Colon was named to the ACC All-Freshman Team.

Each will be counted on Thursday when the Hurricanes face off against a Kansas (18-10) team that is also making its second straight tournament appearance. A season ago, the Jayhawks advanced to the Sweet 16 and the Hurricanes are aware of the challenge they face.

“It’s the tournament, so everyone’s going to be good. We just have to be ready, play our game and be ready for anything,” Leao said. “We really just have this thing where we’re locked in every game, every practice. If we move on with that mindset, I think we’ll be good.”

But the opponent across the net may not be the only significant challenge the Hurricanes face in Lincoln.

The Bob Devaney Sports Center, which will host the first and second rounds, is one of the largest volleyball venues in the country and every expectation is the arena will be filled with fans eager to watch some of college volleyball’s top teams.

Among those teams are the host Cornhuskers, who are the tournament’s No. 7 overall seed and will face off against Delaware State after Miami and Kansas play.

Grieve, who has often visited family in Nebraska, has seen what the environment can be like and is eager to see how she and her teammates can rise to the occasion.

“The gym is legendary,” she said. “There, everywhere you go, it’s Nebraska volleyball. There’s so many t-shirts, so much everything. They have so much support for their…