Volleyball Team Opens Season Against No. 24 Michigan
8/28/2000 8:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Aug. 28, 2000
COLLEGE PARK, Md.-- The Maryland women's volleyball team will begin the 2000 season versus nationally-ranked Michigan at the Pacific Invitational in Stockton, Calif. The Terps will take on No. 24 Michigan Friday, Sept.1, at 8:00 p.m. in the season opener for both schools. Saturday, Sept. 2, the Terps play two matches versus 1999 NCAA tournament teams. The Terrapins will face 1999 NCAA Final Four participant Pacific at 2:00 p.m. followed by Sacramento State at 8:00 p.m.
Senior Duo
Maren Stuart (Tampa, Fla.) and Nnenna Amobi (Silver Spring, Md.) will be counted on by coach Janice Kruger to lead a young Maryland team this season. Stuart and Amobi will be two front line players for the Terps this season. "With Maren and Nnenna, they give us two versatile players that give us plenty of hitting power and blocking," said Kruger.
Brennan Heads the List of Top Returners
Sophomore Carey Brennan (Smithburg, Md.) will try and build on last season's success when she was named to the ACC-All Freshman team during the 1999 season. Just the third player to receive the honor at Maryland, Brennan will be part of a solid group of hitters that return to the Terrapin lineup. Along with the two seniors and Brennan, junior Willette Dority (Congers, N.Y.) and sophomore Amanda Ayres (Chesapeake, Md.) give the Terps five players up front with plenty of experience.
Alberts and Davey Return at the Setter Position
Maryland welcomes back two experienced setters in junior Libby Alberts (Eden Prairie, Minn.) and sophomore Lindsay Davey (Aurora, Colo.). Davey will handle the setting duties as Alberts continues to recover from off-season shoulder surgery. As a freshman, Davey appeared in all 31 matches. Alberts, a two-year starter for the Terps at setter, has led Maryland in assists the past two seasons. The Minnesota native averaged 8.32 assists per game last season which was good for ninth in the ACC.
Seven Newcomers on 2000 Team
Coach Kruger will rely on plenty of youth this season as she welcomes seven newcomers to the Maryland program. Junior Shannon Toback (Ellicott City, Md.) along with freshmen Fiona DeFreitas (Laurel, Md.), Maria DiLivio (Hamilton, Ontario), Lynnsy Jones (Castro Valley, Calif.), Trina Scalza (Warwick, N.Y.), Kathy Shahrokh (Ellicott City, Md.) and Laurel Wilson (North East, Md.) will all start
their collegiate careers this season with the Terps.
Head Coach Janice Kruger
Kruger will have one of her youngest teams here at Maryland as she enters her 13th season with the Terps. The winningest active coach in the ACC with 233 victories, Kruger has been named ACC Coach of the Year three times (1990, 1996, 1997).
LaGrange and Liu Named Assistant Coaches
Jennifer LaGrange and Xiangrong Liu were both added to the Maryland coaching staff this past offseason. LaGrange comes to Maryland from Southwest Texas State University where she was the first assistant from 1997-99. During her three years at Southwest Texas State, LaGrange helped lead the Bobcats to a 63-35 (.643) record, a Southland Conference tournament championship in 1998 and a NCAA bid that same season.
Liu arrives at Maryland after being the assistant coach at the University of Dayton for seven seasons. During his time at Dayton, the Flyers went 133-86 (.616) and were the 1998 Atlantic 10 champions.
