Terps Finish Regular Season With Home Matches Vs. Clemson And Georgia Tech
11/6/2001 7:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Nov. 6, 2001
COLLEGE PARK, Md.- The Maryland volleyball team closes out the regular season this week with a pair of home matches vs. Clemson and Georgia Tech. First up are the Tigers of Clemson University on Friday (Nov. 9) at 6 p.m. and the regular season closes with Georgia Tech on Senior Day this Saturday (Nov. 10) at 4 p.m.
* The Terps look to snap their three-match losing streak Friday when they host the Tigers. Maryland has won two straight in the Clemson series, sweeping the Tigers in the two previous meetings.
* Maryland is looking to avenge a tough five-game loss at Georgia Tech earlier in the year. The Terps have not defeated the Yellow Jackets since 1999 when Maryland won in five games at home.
* With two wins this week, the Terps will enter the ACC Volleyball Championship with a .500 record at 12-12 including an 8-8 ACC mark. The last time Maryland ended the year with a winning record was 1997 when the Terrapins finished 27-2 including a perfect 16-0 conference slate.
So Long To Ritchie Coliseum
* The Terrapins have played well in their final season at Ritchie Coliseum. The Terps will play next season in the Comcast Center, but have enjoyed the home court advantage at Ritchie this season.
* The Terps are 5-3 overall at home including a 4-2 ACC mark. Over the past two seasons, the Terps only won three games each year at home and could win as many as six ACC matches this season at home. Maryland still has home dates remaining with Clemson and Georgia Tech. Earlier in the year, the Terps swept Clemson and lost in five-games at Georgia Tech.
* In just over five seasons at Ritchie Coliseum, the Terrapins own a 35-22 record. Maryland has had a winning record each season in Ritchie except in 1999, when the Terps finished with a 9-10 mark.
Terps Say Goodbye To A Pair Of Seniors
* Saturday's match will be the home finale for a pair of seniors. Both middle hitter Willette Dority (Congers, N.Y.) and defensive specialist Shannon Toback (Ellicott City, Md.) will play their final match in front of the home crowd at Ritchie.
* Dority has shined in her final year with the Terps. After battling injuries throughout her first three seasons in College Park, Dority has given the Terps a potent option out of the middle. Dority leads the team and is third in the ACC with a .346 hitting percentage and has been selected as an ACC Player of the Week this season along with garnering all-tournament honors at the Indiana Tournament.
* Toback has been a great team player over her two seasons with the Terps. After appearing in 31 matches over the past two years, Toback has given the team another solid passer out of the back row.
The Latest On Clemson
* Clemson enters the week with a record of 8-15 overall including a 3-11 mark in the ACC. The three wins in the conference place the Tigers in eighth place overall, leading cellar-dweller NC State by two games.
* After starting the season 4-3, Clemson has lost 12 of their last 16 matches. With a three-game victory over NC state on Nov. 2, it marked the first conference win for the Tigers since Oct. 12 over Virginia.
* Senior right side Jodie Steffes has played very well for the Tigers, leading Clemson in several categories. Steffes ranks first on the team in kills (316) and digs (215) while ranking second in service aces (30).
The Ramblin Wreck Of Georgia Tech
* The Yellow Jackets come to College Park winners of eight of their last 10 including a five-game win over the Terps during that stretch. For the year, Georgia Tech stands at 16-6 overall and 10-4 in the ACC, good for third place in the conference.
* Tech has been dominant at home, sporting an impressive 10-2 mark while only owning a 4-4 record on the road.
* Maja Pachale has been one of the top players in the ACC all year long, leading the team and the conference in kills with 383, good for an average of 4.61 per game.
* Junior outside hitter Carey Brennan (Smithsburg, Md.) has put together a season worthy of All-ACC honors. Brennan ranks among the league leaders in kills and digs while leading the team in those respective categories.
* Brennan has been putting up terrific numbers this season and added a career milestone in the North Carolina win. Brennan slammed 20 kills in the UNC victory including her 1,000th career kill. For the season, Brennan leads the team with 291 kills.
* Also a sound defensive player, Brennan is closing in on her 1,000th career dig. Brennan leads the Terps with 258 digs and needs just 84 digs for the 1,000 mark for her career.
* Brennan also ranks among the league leaders in kills and digs. Brennan is fourth in the ACC in digs per game (3.19) and is ninth in kills per game (3.59).
ACC Volleyball Championship Just Two Weeks Away
* The 2001 ACC Volleyball Championship, hosted by Florida State University, is just over two weeks away. The five-day event begins Thursday (Nov. 15) with the first round match featuring the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds.
* Although the seeding is still up in the air, the Terps are currently the No. 6 seed and would face the No. 3 seed on Friday (Nov. 16).
* The following is a list of the entire bracket for the five-day event:
* Thursday (Nov. 15) Seed No. 8 vs. Seed No. 9 at 7:30 p.m. (Match 1) * Friday (Nov. 16) Seed No. 4 vs. Seed No. 5 at 11 a.m. (Match 2) * Friday (Nov. 16) Seed No. 1 vs. Thursday's winner at 1:30 p.m. (Match 3) * Friday (Nov. 16) Seed No. 2 vs. Seed No. 7 at 5 p.m. (Match 4) * Friday (Nov. 16) Seed No. 3 vs. Seed No. 6 at 7:30 p.m. (Match 5) * Saturday (Nov. 17) Match 2 winner vs. Match 3 winner at 1:30 p.m. (Match 6) * Saturday (Nov. 17) Match 4 winner vs. Match 5 winner at 4 p.m. (Match 7) * Sunday (Nov. 18) Match 6 winner vs. Match 7 winner at 1 p.m. (Match *)
* The championship match will aired live on Comcast Sports Net, Fox Sports South and the Sunshine Network.
