Oct. 16, 2003
Updated Season Statistics
MARYLAND (17-4, 6-1) at VIRGINIA (19-4, 3-4)
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2003 * 7:00 p.m.
MEMORIAL GYM, CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.
Following its first national recognition of the season, the Terrapin volleyball team will travel to Charlottesville, Va., Friday night to battle the Virginia Cavaliers in Memorial Gym. The Terps, who received votes in the latest USA TODAY/AVCA Coaches' Poll, are coming off three conference sweeps of NC State, Florida State and North Carolina at home in Comcast Center Gymnasium. Janice Kruger's squad is on a four-match win streak and is alone in second place in the conference standings with a 6-1 ACC record (17-4 overall).
National Respect
For the first time since 1997, Maryland is listed in the USA TODAY/AVCA Coaches' Poll by receiving votes in the latest Top 25. After defeating North Carolina, who was previously receiving votes, the Terrapins got national respect. To view the current Top 25, Click Here
No. 1 Blocker
Middle blocker Rachel Wagener continues to lead the nation with a 1.78 blocks per game average. The sophomore has tallied 135 total blocks (13 solo) in 2003, which also puts her at the top of the ACC for the third straight week. Along with her impressive defensive statistics, Wagener is also ranked in the ACC for hitting percentage (.378).
Terps In The ACC And National Rankings
Here is a breakdown of all the players ranked in the ACC and in the nation:
Player Category/Stat ACC Rank National Rank
Rachel Wagener Att. Pct./.378 5
Blocks/135 1 1
Aimee Huddleston Assists/945 2
Blocks/93 7
Stephanie Smith Blocks/87 10
Att.Pct/.389 4 27
Maria DiLivio Aces/32 4
Digs/237 7
Lynnsy Jones Kills/274 7
Aces/41 3
*Rankings reflect statistics as of October 13.*
The Terrapins are also ranked 13th nationally in hitting percentage (.284) and fourth in blocks (3.20 per game).
Best Start Since 1997
At 17-4, the Terrapins are off to their best start since the 1997 season. The '97 Terps started their season with 26 straight victories en route to a second-round appearance in the NCAA tournament. Maryland has not had a winning ACC record since that banner season, and this year's team is one win away from equaling its win totals from 2002 (last year's squad finished the year at 18-14, 7-9 ACC). The last time the Terps started a season at 17-4 was in 1996, when they won the conference crown and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament.
Huddleston Earns Player of the Week Honors
Junior Aimee Huddleston garnered ACC Volleyball Player of the Week honors for her performances last week against NC State, Florida State and North Carolina. The setter tallied 119 assists and orchestrated the Maryland offense that hit a combined .315 in three victories. Huddleston averaged 13.22 assists per game, 2.11 digs per game and 1.22 blocks per game en route to the first player of the week nod of her career. She is the second Terrapin to earn the honor in 2003 - senior right side hitter Lynnsy Jones is the other. Huddleston has dished out 945 assists so far this season and has a chance to break the single-season record of 1,405 set by Eden Kroeger in 1994.
Alone Behind No. 4 Georgia Tech
The Terps are in sole possession of second place in the Atlantic Coast Conference standings, behind undefeated and nationally ranked Georgia Tech. Here is a breakdown of the ACC standings as of Oct. 14:
Team Conference Overall
Georgia Tech 7-0 18-0
Terps 6-1 17-4
Wake Forest 4-2 14-4
North Carolina 4-2 13-6
Virginia 3-4 19-4
Duke 2-4 6-12
Clemson 2-5 12-10
Florida State 1-5 10-9
NC State 0-6 6-14
The Series With UVA
Maryland has a 29-10 advantage in the all-time series with Virginia, including two victories over the Wahoos in 2002. The last time the two teams met was on Nov. 8, 2002 in College Park, in a match that the Terrapins won in three games (30-18, 30-28, 30-22). The Cavaliers have not bested the Terps since Oct. 27, 2001, when they had a five-game victory (30-27, 30-27, 18-30, 24-30, 15-9) in Charlottesville.
Scouting the Cavaliers
Virginia enters Friday's match with a 19-4 overall record and a fifth-place position in the ACC with a 3-4 conference record. The Cavaliers, after starting off the season with 16 straight victories, have lost to Clemson, Georgia Tech, North Carolina and Wake Forest. Leading the team is Paige Davis with 307 kills and 65 blocks this season. Also leading the block are Alexis Geocaris with 99 and Shannon Boyle with 94. Virginia is ranked second in the conference in digs and is coached by Melissa Aldrich Shelton.
Email Straight To You
If you would like the latest Maryland volleyball news sent to you as soon as it breaks, email volleyball contact Amy Mulligan at mulligan@wam.umd.edu with "Volleyball Email" as the subject and you will receive every update sent out about the team.
