Oct. 21, 2003

Box Score

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - A balanced attack and solid blocking was a winning combination for the University of Maryland volleyball team, as the Terrapins defeated Wake Forest, 3-1, in Reynolds Gymnasium Tuesday night. Maryland improved to 19-4 (8-1 ACC) and solidified its second-place standing in the conference, while Wake Forest fell to 15-6 (5-4 ACC).

Leading the Terrapins was sophomore middle blocker Stephanie Smith (Bethesda, Md.) and senior right side hitter Lynnsy Jones (Castro Valley, Calif.). Smith posted 17 kills and seven blocks (two solo), while Jones blasted 15 kills and had 15 digs for a double-double. Jones, who also contributed two service aces, has now recorded at least 10 kills in 15 straight matches.

Sophomore Rachel Wagener (Chesapeake, Va.), who entered the match with 125 block assists, notched six more against the Demon Deacons to become Maryland's single-season record holder in the statistic. Wagener replaces Kelli Myers, whose 127 in 1989 was the previous best. The middle blocker also registered nine kills and hit .471. Junior setter Aimee Huddleston (Keller, Texas) also reached a plateau against Wake Forest, handing out her 1,000th assist this season. Huddleston, who had 48 assists against Wake Forest to bring her total this season to 1,031, is chasing the single-season record of 1,405 set in 1994 by Eden Kroeger.

The Terrapins trailed early in game one, 9-4, but came back to tie the score at 11 on a block by Maria DiLivio and Wagener. On the next play, Maryland earned its first lead of the game on a kill by Wagener, and Maryland was able to pull away. Leading the charge was Smith (five first-game kills) and Fiona DeFreitas (four first-game digs), and the Terps won the game, 30-20.

Lynnsy Jones opened game two with four straight points off her serve to give Maryland a 4-0 advantage. Wake Forest came back and eventually tied the score at 17, but Jones notched one of her six second-game kills to regain the lead for the Terps, 18-17. Maryland won the game off a kill by Aimee Huddleston on game point for a 30-25 victory.

Wake Forest had a .390 third-game attack percentage and Valerie Rydberg blasted seven kills to lead the Demon Deacons to a 30-17 third-game victory. The Terrapins, who hit just .154, were led defensively by DeFreitas (six third-game digs) and offensively by Smith (four third-game kills).

Game four was tied at 13 when the Terrapins began to pull away. The Terps would eventually clinch the match with a 30-24 fourth-game victory.

Junior outside hitters Sarah Treadwell (Pearland, Texas) and Maria DiLivio (Hamilton, Ontario) and libero Fiona DeFreitas (Lanham, Md.) all had solid efforts in the win. Treadwell had seven kills and 17 digs; DiLivio had nine kills and 12 digs and DeFreitas finished with 11 digs.

The Terps are back in action Sunday, Oct. 26, when they travel to Duke for a 1 p.m. match. The team returns to Comcast Center Gym on Homecoming weekend for a 7 p.m. Friday match with Clemson and a 7 p.m. Saturday match with No. 4 Georgia Tech.