Women's Volleyball Season Ends With Loss To North Carolina
11/20/2000 7:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Nov. 20, 2000
COLLEGE PARK, Md.- The Maryland women's volleyball team (14-16, 4-12 ACC) finished-up the 2000 season last Friday afternoon at the 2000 ACC Tournament, losing in the quarterfinal round to No. 2 North Carolina, 15-12, 5-15, 6-15, 7-15, on the campus of Wake Forest University. It was the first game all season that Maryland won over the Tar Heels, who later won the conference championship over Duke on Sunday. The loss to Carolina also marked the final time that seniors Nnenna Amobi (Silver Spring, Md.) and Maren Stuart (Tampa, Fla.) took the court in a Terrapin uniform.
Terps Upset Clemson In First Round
In the opening match of the 2000 ACC Volleyball Tournament, the No. 7 seed Clemson lost to the No. 8 seed Maryland Terrapins in three games, 15-12, 15-6, 15-11. The win snapped Maryland's seven-match losing streak to the Tigers and it was the first time the Terps swept an opponent at the ACC Tournament since 1997 in a win over NC State.
"This was a good game plan we had for Clemson and the players carried it out and played well," commented Terrapin head coach Janice Kruger. "Everyone went out there and played great. It was a total-team effort."
Sophomore outside hitter Carey Brennan (Smithsburg, Md.) paced the Terrapins with team-highs in kills (17) and digs (13). Amobi also had double-digit kills on the night with 14 while sophomore setter Lindsay Davey (Aurora, Colo.) dished out 39 assists for the winners. Maryland recorded 11 service aces in the match with freshman outside hitter Lynnsy Jones (Castro Valley, Calif.) leading the way with six service winners.
Terps Fall To North Carolina In The Quarterfinals
In the quarterfinal round of the 2000 ACC Volleyball Tournament, the No. 8 seeded Maryland Terrapins lost a hard-fought match to the No. 2 seed North Carolina (1-3) 15-12, 5-15, 6-15, 7-15.
Sophomore outside hitter Carey Brennan ended the tournament with another impressive showing, finishing the match with 17 kills and 18 digs. Sophomore setter Lindsay Davey ended the match with 57 assists, the ninth-time this season she dished out 50-plus assists in a match.
Along with Brennan, two other Maryland players had double-digit kills and digs. Sophomore outside hitter Amanda Ayres (Chesapeake Beach, Md.) smacked 12 kills and recorded 18 digs while junior middle hitter Willette Dority (Congers, N.Y.) had 11 kills and 11 digs.
Sophomore Sensation
Sophomore outside hitter Carey Brennan picked up right where she left off as a freshman. Only the third Terp ever to be named to the ACC All-Freshman team, Brennan was a force this season. Brennan led the team with 441 kills, 1,217 attacks and 375 digs. The Maryland native played in every game this year for the Terrapins and blasted a career-high 28 kills Oct. 23 in Maryland's five-game win over NC State. For the season, Brennan smacked double-digit kills in 26 of the Terrapins' 30 matches. For her career, the second-year wonder has 751 kills and 658 digs. If Brennan averages just 243 kills the next two seasons, she will set a new career-record for kills at Maryland, breaking the old mark of 1,238 set by Colleen Hurley. The 441 kills this year place Brennan third on the all-time single season list in Maryland volleyball history:
Single-Season Kills 1. Colleen Hurley (1990) 493 2. Elizabeth Efron (1997) 465 3. Carey Brennan (2000) 441 4. Beth Murphy (1999) 428 5. Daune Koester (1996) 419
Kruger Closing In On 250
With the Terps' win over Clemson, Terrapin head coach Janice Kruger is just three wins shy of the 250-mark for her tenure at Maryland. Second in the ACC in wins with 247, Kruger should hit the 250-win plateau early next season in College Park.
Seniors Finish Strong
Maren Stuart and Nnenna Amobi have been solid in the middle, leading a young Maryland team this season. Stuart and Amobi gave the Terps a potent 1-2 punch at the middle hitter position.
Stuart ended the season second for the Terps in hitting percentage (.251) and third in kills (262).
Amobi ranked first on the squad in blocks (95), second in kills (315) and first in hitting percentage (.266). The Maryland native also was second on the team in service aces with 41.
Cherry Creek Connection
Janice Kruger knows where to go to find a setter, Cherry Creek High School in Aurora, Colo. Former Terp Eden Kroeger along with current Terp setter Lindsay Davey are both alumni from Cherry Creek.
Kroeger played four seasons for the Terps from 1994 to 1997. During that span, Kroeger was named to the freshman All-ACC team, twice named first-team All-ACC and is the only Terrapin ever named an All-American ('97).
Davey shined in her first season as starter for Maryland. Davey led the team in assists (1,235), good for 11.54 per game. The 1,235 assists also place Davey fifth on the all-time single-season list in Maryland volleyball history.
Single-Season Assist Leaders 1. Eden Kroeger (1994) 1,405 2. Eden Kroeger (1997) 1,381 3. Nicole Lantagne (1992) 1,295 4. Eden Kroeger (1995) 1,245 5. Lindsay Davey (2000) 1,235
Home Sweet Home
The Terrapins finished the 2000 home slate with a winning record of 7-5. Maryland was a perfect 4-0 against non-conference opposition, includuing three wins in capturing the Maryland Invitational team title. The Terps other home win outside the ACC was over BIG EAST-foe Connecticut, in five-games, on Oct. 13. The Huskies are coached by former Terp Kelli Myers, who played under Kruger and was twice named All-ACC.
Head Coach Janice Kruger
Janice Kruger had one of her youngest teams here at Maryland as she finished her 13th season with the Terps. The second-winningest active coach in the ACC with 247 victories, Kruger has been named ACC Coach of the Year three times (1990, 1996, 1997).
Kruger has enjoyed a stellar coaching career compiling an impressive 619-256-6 record. During her time at Maryland, Kruger has totaled 247 wins while losing only 162.
Alberts To Return In 2001
Junior setter Libby Alberts (Eden Prairie, Minn.) missed the entire 2000 season as she recovered from off-season shoulder surgery. A two-year starter for the Terps, Alberts has led Maryland in assists both years she has been in College Park. Last season, Alberts ranked ninth in the ACC per game in assists with 8.32. With Alberts rejoining the team, Maryland has two of the top-10 assist leaders in a season returning with Lindsay Davey, who is fifth with 1,235 assists in one season, and Alberts who placed eight on the list with her 1,121 helpers she dished out in 1998.
Young Guns
The future is bright in College Park for the women's volleyball team. With the loss of just two seniors, Maryland returns 11 players next season, five of which started on a regular basis. Other than blocks, the Terps return a player who led them in every statistical category.
KillsCarey Brennan (441)
Assists
Lindsay Davey (1,235)
Service Aces
Lynnsy Jones (45)
Digs
Carey Brennan (375)
Games Played
Brennan and Davey (107)
Matches Started
Brennan and Davey (30)
Against Ranked Opponents
The Terrapins went 0-2 this season versus teams in the AVCA coaches Top 25 poll. Maryland faced both teams in their first two matches of the season at the Nike Invitational in Stockton, Calif. At the time, the Terps lost to No. 24 Michigan (0-3) 6-15, 7-15, 8-15 in the season opener and fell to No. 12 Pacific (0-3) 1-15, 6-15, 2-15.
