Oct. 21, 2001

Box Score

COLLEGE PARK, Md.- The University of Maryland women's volleyball team earned its most important victory in four years by defeating No. 25 North Carolina (3-2) 30-22, 26-30, 30-28, 22-30, 16-14, in ACC volleyball action Sunday evening at Ritchie Coliseum. The loss was the first for UNC in ten matches this season in the ACC and snapped Carolina's 12-match winning streak in conference action.

For the second time in two days, the Terps went the full five games, but the outcome was much sweeter for the Terrapins on Sunday.

The Terrapins opened the match with an impressive 30-22 victory, which set the tone for the match. Senior middle hitter Willette Dority (Congers, N.Y.) slammed six kills in the opening frame while junior outside hitter Carey Brennan (Smithsburg, Md.) tallied four kills to lead the Terrapin attack. As a team, Maryland hit .382 for the game while limiting UNC to a .200 hitting percentage.

Carolina came back to win the second game, 30-26, to even the match at one game apiece. Nicole Reis recorded eight digs in the frame while setter Eve Rackham handed out 15 assists to lead the Tar Heels to the game two victory.

In the third game, Maryland showed its toughness by pulling out an important 30-28 game three victory. Sophomore outside hitter Maria DiLivio (Hamilton, Ontario) led the way with seven kills while Brennan added four kills and six digs for the Terps.

UNC would not go down without a fight, as the defending ACC champions roared back with a 30-22 victory. Outside hitter Laura Greene led all players with seven kills in the fourth frame.

In the fifth and final game, the two teams went back and forth until Carolina had match point at 14-13. The Terps bounced back to tie the match at 14 and then took the lead at 15-14 when Nicole Reis fired a kill attempt out of bounds. On match point for the Terrapins, Reis attempted another kill, but freshman middle hitter Alexandra Toregas (Chevy Chase, Md.) and junior setter Lindsay Davey (Aurora, Colo.) combined for the block to give Maryland the thrilling five-game victory.

Reis was super all night, leading all players with 30 kills.

The Terrapins had several impressive performances, led by DiLivio. The sophomore set a career-high with 21 kills to spearhead the Terrapin attack. Brennan went over the 20-kill plateau for the second straight match, finishing with 20 kills and a match-best 17 digs.

Dority also established a new career-high in kills with 17 and also chipped in with 10 digs. Davey led all players with 67 assists for the winners while also contributing two blocks and six digs.

Toregas finished with a career-best eight kills for the Terps and a new career-high in blocks with three. Sophomore right side Lynnsy Jones (Castro Valley, Calif.) also played well, ending with 10 digs while tying a career-high with six service aces.

The victory improved the Terps' overall record to 10-9 and 6-5 in the ACC. The win also snapped Maryland's seven-match losing streak to the Tar Heels and it was the first win since Nov. 15, 1997 over UNC. The Tar Heels now stand at 17-4 overall and 9-1 in the ACC.

The Terps return to action Saturday (Oct. 27) at ACC rival Virginia. The match is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. in University Hall.