Volleyball Continues Road Swing Tonight At Wake Forest
10/21/2003 8:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Oct. 21, 2003
Updated Season Statistics
MARYLAND (18-4, 7-1) at WAKE FOREST (15-5, 5-3)
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2003 * 6:00 p.m.
REYNOLDS GYM, WINSTON-SALEM, N.C.
The University of Maryland volleyball team continues its three-match road swing tonight as it travels to Wake Forest for a 6 p.m. match in Reynolds Gym. The Terrapins are riding a five-match win streak and recently shut out Virginia, 3-0, in Charlottesville on Friday night. At 18-4 overall (7-1 ACC), the Terps are alone in second place in the conference and received votes in the USA TODAY / AVCA Coaches' Poll for the second straight week.
Halfway Home
The ACC portion of the Terrapins' schedule is officially halfway done, and Maryland is alone in second place in the conference behind undefeated and nationally ranked Georgia Tech. The Terps lone conference loss came at the hands of the Yellow Jackets, 3-1, in O'Keefe Gymnasium on Oct. 3, but the squad is the only unranked team to win a game from the Jackets all season.
Best Start Since 1997
At 18-4, 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 has already equaled 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 18-4 was in 1996, when they won the conference crown and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament.
Kruger Eyes 300th Win
Terps head coach Janice Kruger has amassed 295 wins in 15 years at the University of Maryland. Now in her 16th season at the helm of the volleyball program, Kruger needs five wins in eight remaining regular season matches to earn her 300th win with the Terrapins.
Huddleston On Track To Break 1,000
Junior setter Aimee Huddleston needs 17 assists to break 1,000 for the season. Huddleston, who already notched her 1,000th career assist earlier this year in a victory over Duke, is currently ranked second in assists in the ACC with 983 and a per-game average of 12.44. She was named ACC Player of the Week on Oct. 13 for her performances in three victories over NC State, Florida State and North Carolina.
Wagener Looks To Break School Record
With 125 block assists already this season, sophomore Rachel Wagener needs two tonight to become Maryland's single-season record holder. The previous mark was 127, posted by Kelli Myers in 1989. Wagener leads the ACC and the nation in blocks per game with an average of 1.77.
The Series With Wake Forest
The Terrapins hold a 16-7 all-time advantage over the Demon Deacons, including a 3-2 victory earlier this season in College Park. In that match, sophomore middle blocker Stephanie Smith led the Terrapins' attack with 16 kills, while Rachel Wagener posted a double-double (12 kills and 12 blocks). Aimee Huddleston also performed well in the Terps' victory, posting 55 assists, four kills, 10 digs and six blocks. The last time Wake Forest defeated Maryland was on Oct. 30, 2001, when the Deacons earned a four-game victory (30-18, 26-30, 30-23, 30-28) in Winston-Salem.
Scouting the Demon Deacons
Wake Forest enters Tuesday's match with a 15-5 overall record and a 5-3 conference record. In the ACC, Wake Forest's losses have been to North Carolina, Georgia Tech and the Terrapins. Valerie Rydberg leads her team with 254 kills (3.97 pg) and an ACC-leading .64 service aces per game average. The other Demon Deacon to amass over 200 kills this year is Christy Williams with 204 (3.09 pg). Leading the block are Williams with 62 (12 solo) and Jessica Hauff with 46 (six solo). Wake Forest's top performers in the team's loss to Maryland were setter Erin Borhort, who posted a career-best 61 assists and Rydberg, who registered 17 kills and 16 digs.
Email Straight To You
If you would like the latest Maryland volleyball news emailed directly 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 distributed about the team.
