Volleyball Team Opens Up 2000 Season
9/1/2000 8:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 1, 2000
College Park, Md.--The Maryland women's volleyball team opens 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.
Match Facts
Pacific Invitational
Maryland vs. Michigan
Date: Sept. 1, 2000
Time: 8 p.m., EDT
Site: Alex G. Spanos Center
Pacific Invitational
Maryland vs. Pacific
Date: Sept. 2, 2000
Time: 2:00 p.m., EDT
Site: Alex G. Spanos Center
Pacific Tournament
Maryland vs. Sacramento St.
Date: Sept. 2, 2000
Time: 8 p.m., EDT
Site: Alex G. Spanos Center
Scouting Maryland
Maryland is coming off a 12-19 campaign in 1999 and returns four starters and seven letterwinners from last season's squad. Sophomore outside hitter Carey Brennan (Smithburg, Md.) was second last season in kills with 310 and attacks with 921. Junior setter Libby Alberts (Eden Prairie, Minn.) posted a team best 974 assists in 1999. Seniors Maren Stuart (Tampa, Fla.) and Nnenna Amobi (Silver Spring, Md.) provide plenty of power and blocking up front for the Terps as they combined for 220 total blocks last season. Janice Kruger begins her 13th season as head coach of the Terps. In her 12 years in College Park, Kruger has amassed an impressive record of 233-146.
Maryland vs. Michigan
Maryland and Michigan will square off for the first time since Sept. 4, 1998, when the Terps dropped a tough 8-15, 15-13, 8-15, 5-15 match to the Wolverines. The Terps are 0-3 all-time against Michigan. With ten returning letterwinners and five returning starters, Michigan enters the 2000 campaign ranked No. 24 in the preseason USA Today/AVCA coaches poll. Michigan was 16-15 in 1999 and finished eighth in the Big Ten. Michigan returns their starting setter from last season in junior Shannon Melka. Last season Melka led the Wolverines with 1,374 assists. Junior Nicole Kacor will be on the receiving end of most of those assists this season as she paced the Wolverines with 405 kills last year.
Maryland vs. Pacific
Maryland faces Pacific for the first time Saturday in the second game of the season for both schools. The Tigers will look to continue their winning ways from 1999 when they went all the way to the NCAA Final Four. Pacific posted a 31-3 record last year and won the Big West championship. This season the Tigers begin the season ranked No. 12 in the preseason USAToday-AVCA coaches poll. Pacific is led by senior Danielle Shinn. A 1999 all-Big West selection at middle blocker, Shinn was third on the team in kills (224), digs (246) and blocks (77).
Maryland vs. Sacramento State
Maryland and Sacramento State will meet for the first time Saturday night in the final game of the Pacific Invitational for both schools. The Hornets finished the 1999 season with a 22-10 and an appearance in the 1999 NCAA tournament. The 2000 squad returns eight letterwinners and three starters as the Hornets look to defend their Big Sky title. Senior outside hitter Sarah Chlebana heads the list of returners for the Hornets. A 1999 all-Big Sky second teamer, Chlebana finished last season second on the team in kills, third in blocks and fourth in digs.
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 in 2000
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.
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.
Brennan on Opening Night
Sophomore outside hitter Carey Brennan will look for the same performance she gave in the 1999 season opener. In her first career game as a Terp, Brennan paced the Maryland attack as she smacked a team-leading 15 kills in a 15-5, 15-4, 6-15, 15-11 Maryland win over Villanova.
Coast to Coast
After this weekend's invitational, the Terps hit the road again next weekend as they travel to New York City for the Columbia Invitational Sept. 8-9. Maryland will play four games in two days in the Big Apple.
Friday, Sept. 8, Maryland will tangle with the Binghamton Bearcats at 6:00 p.m. The Terps will face the host Columbia Lions in their second match of the night at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 9, the Terps will face Long Island University at noon. Maryland will wrap up play at the Columbia Invitational at 2:00 p.m. with a match versus Lafayette.
Maryland returns to Ritchie Coliseum for the 2000 home opener Friday, Sept. 15, versus William & Mary in the Maryland Tournament.
