Aug. 30, 2007

CORAL GABLES, Fla. -The Miami volleyball team hits the road for the first time this weekend to play in the Marquette Kick-Off Tournament at the Al McGuire Center in Milwaukee, Wis. The Hurricanes, set to play in their second of three tournaments before ACC play begins, will battle host Marquette, UT Arlington and Oakland Aug. 31-Sept. 1.

"The second weekend of play you're hoping that the team is a little more in sync, a little more confident when they step on the court.," head coach Nicole Lantagne Welch said. "We have a big match Friday night playing Marquette on their home court. It's a good opportunity to pick up a win against a BIG EAST opponent."

UM (2-1) will face Marquette (0-2) on Friday, Aug. 31 at 8 p.m. EST in the nightcap of the tournament's first day. On Saturday, Sept. 1, Miami will face UT Arlington (1-1) in the day's first match at 11:30 a.m. EST before taking on Oakland (1-3) at 5:30 p.m. EST.

Coming off back-to-back 3-1 wins over Jacksonville and Butler this past weekend at the Orange and Green Challenge, the Hurricanes enter the weekend riding the strong play of middle blocker Ciara Michel and setter Katie Gallagher. Both named to the Orange and Green Challenge All-Tournament Team, Gallagher averaged 11.08 assists per game and tallied a tournament-best 17 service aces while Michel finished with 39 kills and team-best 18 total blocks.

Genny Mayhew, who set a new career-high with 19 kills against Hofstra in the season-opener, leads all Hurricanes with 42 kills (3.23 kpg) while Cassie Loessberg leads six players in double-figure digs with 60. Bridget Bomhack, returning to her home state of Wisconsin for the weekend, has started off strong with 48 digs, 33 kills, eight assists, eight total blocks and five aces on the season.

"It is nice to get our players back to their home areas where their friends and family have a chance to see them play," Lantagne Welch said.

About Marquette
The Golden Eagles dropped their first two matches last week to BYU and Iowa at the Hawkeye Challenge in Iowa City, Iowa, losing 3-0 and 3-1 respectively. Senior outside hitter/middle blocker Kimberly Todd stood out offensively for the Golden Eagles, recording 28 of the team's 85 kills in their first two contests. Fellow senior Katie Wiedner directs the MU offense, averaging 10.29 assists per game while Terri Angst leads the defense with 26 digs.

About UT Arlington
The Mavericks split their first two matches of the season, losing 3-0 at Houston last weekend before claiming a 3-1 victory at home on Wednesday against Louisiana Tech. Teena Sobczak leads the team with 23 kills while Bianca Sauls, after recording just three kills against Houston, has 19 through two matches after collecting a team-high 16 against Louisiana Tech. Emily Nedderman has 67 assists through two matches while Dani Johnson is coming off a 31-dig performance on Wednesday.

About Oakland
The Golden Grizzlies enter the weekend having dropped three of their first four matches, including a 3-0 loss at Bowling Green on Tuesday after going 1-2 at the Bearcat Invitational in Cincinnati last weekend. Amy Golem (36 kills) and Adrienne Leone (35) are the top two hitters for Oakland. Katy Wilson and Alex Darin run the offense with 104 and 16 assists respectively while Leah Dupuie and Nikki Pawson have combined on 24 total blocks.

Fans can follow every match of the tournament via GameTracker at www.hurricanesports.com.

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