Hurricanes Rise in Ranking

Miami was on a bye last week, so there’s no game to report on. We’ll take the opportunity this week to preview the upcoming Miami vs. Louisville game and also provide updates on baseball, basketball and volleyball.

FOOTBALL —
Miami (5-0, 1-0 ACC) stands at No. 2 in the latest AP poll. The Canes open a stretch of seven consecutive weeks of conference games against the Louisville Cardinals (4-1, 1-1) on Oct. 17 at Hard Rock Stadium (7 p.m., ESPN). Miami head coach Mario Cristobal expects a challenge from the visitors.

“We feel they are as good or better than any team we have played on our schedule,” Cristobal said.

Louisville’s defense is allowing only 262 yards per game, 12th best in the country. On offense, Homestead’s Issac Brown, who played for the Homestead Broncos, is averaging 7.3 yards per carry and has three touchdowns. Brown was named both 2024 ACC Rookie of the Year and Rookie Offensive Player of the Year. Wide receiver Chris Bell (6-2, 220) has 35 receptions for 502 yards and four touchdowns.

Cristobal, on the Cardinals’ offense: “We feel like they have the most proven, explosive playmakers of any team we have played, and you combine that with arguably one of the best play-callers in all of college football in head coach Jeff Brohm. We are looking at a very tough test.”

Miami will be favored in the contest, but if the Canes can’t stop shooting themselves in the foot with unnecessary pre-snap and foolish penalties, this could be the game where they don’t overcome those mistakes.

BASEBALL —
The Hurricanes were one out away from a trip to Omaha and the College World Series last season. The 2026 season might well be the year they get back there. Fall practice is in full swing.

Canes Corner has been at practices and an intrasquad scrimmage and likes what it’s seeing. There are 15 returning players — eight pitchers (four left-handed, four right-handed) and seven position players — all of whom were major contributors last season. With 15 true freshmen and 11 transfers, there are currently 40 players on the roster. Recruiting is still ongoing, and players will be added and released. When the season starts in February, the roster will be around 36.

Scouting service On3 lists Miami as No. 5 in its transfer portal rankings. On Oct. 18 at 1 p.m., the Hurricanes will play an exhibition against the Florida Atlantic University Owls. Admission will be free. Come up to on-campus Mark Light Stadium and bring the family.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL —
Head coach Tricia Cullop will enter her second year at Miami. Only two players return: sophomore Ahnay Adams and redshirt freshman Simone Pelish. Coach Cullop has done an impressive job with her first true recruiting class. ESPN-W has Miami’s freshman class ranked No. 10 and its transfer portal class among the top 15 nationally.

The Lady Canes will be bigger and more talented at every position. Canes Corner sees this team as the surprise of the ACC and with a great chance to be an NCAA tournament team this season. Come see for yourself on Oct. 18 at noon, when Miami plays an exhibition against Lynn University at the on-campus Watsco Center. Admission is free. Canes Corner will attend the women’s game and walk over to baseball afterward.

MEN’S BASKETBALL —
Jai Lucas is the new head coach. Lucas is known as one of the nation’s top recruiters after stints at Texas, Kentucky and most recently Duke. There are no returnees on the 2025–26 roster. Coach Lucas was highly selective in recruiting, adding four freshmen, three international players and six transfers.

Lucas said in his introductory press conference on March 10 that he wanted size and strength at every position and would be a defense-first coach. This team will run and defend. Of the 10 American-born players, seven are Florida natives and two are from the Houston area, Lucas’s hometown.

Canes Corner has seen the team practice and is impressed with the players, coaches and structure all are striving to build. Expect TCU transfer Ernest Udah Jr. to start in the middle, Indiana transfer Malik Reneau at forward and Michigan transfer Tre Donaldson at guard. Six or seven players will compete for the other starting spots. Expect this to be a team of hybrids, with everyone playing multiple positions. A relentless nine- or 10-man rotation is likely.

Like the women, the men will be a squad no opponent will look forward to playing. Canes Corner anticipates an NCAA bid for the men as well.

VOLLEYBALL —
The most exciting athletic competitions played on the University of Miami campus are the women’s volleyball matches. The match between No. 18 Miami and No. 4 Pittsburgh, held Oct. 10 at the Knight Sports Complex, might have been the most exciting on-campus athletic event ever played in the 100 years of University of Miami athletics.

The volleyball team at UM has a loyal following that crosses ethnic, gender, racial and age barriers — everyone goes bananas. The doors open one hour before games. The UM-Pittsburgh match was scheduled for 7 p.m. By 6 p.m., there were more than 1,200 people in line outside the venue on San Amaro Drive. The announced attendance was 1,565. Hundreds were turned away. Many watched the game on the jumbo screen at Cobb Soccer Field. Others waited for fans to leave so they might get in. Volleyball has been played at the Knight Complex since 2001, and there has never been fan support like in 2025.

The program’s success starts with head coach Jose “Keno” Gandara, who has built a great staff and assembled a focused group of student-athletes.

There are five returning players from last year’s 22-12 team that reached the NCAA Tournament and won its first-round game against South Dakota State before falling to No. 1 seed Nebraska.

The five returnees — outside hitter Flormarie Heredia Colon, setter Ariana Rodriguez, middle blocker Dalia Wilson, outside hitter Ava Carney and libero Naylani Feliciano — are leaders and unselfish supporters of the 11 new freshmen and transfers.

Back to the match: In a back-and-forth first set, the Panthers edged the Canes 26-24. In the second, Pitt dominated 25-14. Miami was down but not out. The third set was a nail-biter, and showing grit and determination with the score 20-20, Miami took the next three points and won 25-22. The pressure was on Pitt.

In the fourth set, the Canes were down 3-1 early, went ahead 5-4 and never looked back, tying it at two sets each with a 25-19 win. Fifth sets are played to 15. UM and Pitt were tied 11-11 in this one. A kill by Heredia Colon made it 12-11, a service ace by Rodriguez pushed it to 13-11, and after a brief rally, a Pitt service error sealed Miami’s 15-13 fifth-set win and 3-2 match victory. The Knight Center was electric from the middle of the third set until the end.

Women athletes at the highest level train as hard as men in their respective sports. They work as hard, are just as serious, hurt as hard and celebrate victory just as hard as men. The one difference: women compete with unbridled joy and are not afraid to share those emotions. That joy is contagious and feeds the fan base while bringing a sense of connection and happiness to all who attend their competitions.

In the AVCA poll released Oct. 13, Miami rose to No. 14. The team is off to California this week to play Cal on Oct. 16 and Stanford on Oct. 19. They return for a five-match homestand beginning Oct. 24, when they take on Virginia Tech at 7 p.m.

That’s it for now. Be well, all — and Go Canes!