Jose “Keno” Gandara accepted the position of head volleyball coach at the University of Miami on March 20, 2013, becoming the second head coach since the program returned in 2001.
In Gandara’s ninth season at the helm in 2021, Miami returned to the postseason for the first time since 2017 and fifth time under his direction. The Canes advance to the second round of the tournament in the Gainesville Region, ultimately falling to site host Florida. UM finished the season 25-5 overall, with 15 wins coming by way of sweep, and 15-3 in conference play on its way to a second-place finish in the ACC, all program bests under Gandara and the most wins in a season since 2012 when the team posted 26. The Hurricanes finished the year ranked 14th in the RPI and 25th in the AVCA Division I Coaches Poll.
Individually, the Canes saw success with Gandara’s leadership as Savannah Vach, Janice Leao and Angela Grieve earned regional recognition. Vach and Leao earned AVCA East All-Region, while Grieve was an all-region honorable mention. Leao also garnered AVCA All-American Honorable Mention. Vach added to her resume with All-ACC First Team, while teammates Grieve, Leao and Priscilla Hernandez were tabbed All-ACC Second Team. Peyman Yardimci tallied a strong freshman campaign to earn a spot on the All-ACC Freshman Team. The trio of Grieve, Yardimci and Hernandez rounded out the Canes awards as all three garnered ACC All-Academic Team honors.
Gandara led Miami as one of the top blocking teams in the nation. The hurricanes ranked 16th in the country with 2.65 blocks per set and 32nd with 284 total blocks. Behind his leadership, the Miami was among the top in the ACC in several categories at the end of the regular season. The Canes were sixth in hitting percentage (.244), second in opponent hitting percentage (.188), fifth in assists per set (12.51), third in total blocks (271) and blocks per set (2.63), second in digs per set (15.23) and fifth in total digs (1569).
The Hurricanes returned the NCAA Championship in 2017 for the fourth time in five seasons under Gandara’s leadership. Miami won its first postseason match since 2014, defeating the College of Charleston in the opening round of the tournament in a Gainesville, Fla. The Canes fell to No. 2 Florida in four sets in an exciting second round matchup to close the season 22-6 and finish with their best winning percentage since 2012.
Senior outside hitter Olga Strantzali was named ACC Player of the Year and AVCA East Coast Region Player of the Year. Strantzali was joined by redshirt junior setter Haley Templeton on the All-ACC First Team and AVCA All-East Coast Region team. Strantzali and Templeton topped off a memorable season with AVCA All-America Honorable Mention recognition. The Canes both started and finished the campaign strong, winning the first nine matches and the seven contests prior to falling to second-seeded Florida. Miami topped the ACC in service aces with 1.71 per set and finished the season in the top three of two additional categories – hitting percentage (second with .246) and kills (tied for third with 13.64 per set).
In 2016, Gandara led a resilient Miami squad that proved to rise to the occasion when it stepped into an opponent’s gym. The 2016 Hurricanes won 11 matches away from Coral Gables, picking up big road wins at Notre Dame and Louisville. Junior outside hitter Olga Strantzali developed into one of the best players in the country, receiving AVCA All-America honorable mention and earned AVCA All-East Coast Region and First Team All-ACC honors. Strantzali and freshman setter Hannah Sorensen were named to the All-ACC Academic Team in recognition of their success on the court and in the classroom.
Gandara led the Hurricanes to three straight NCAA Tournaments in his first three seasons at the helm of the Miami volleyball program. The Canes were selected to the 2015 NCAA Tournament, where they faced Iowa State in a firs ...