Dec. 5, 2003

2003 NCAA VOLLEYBALL FIRST ROUND
AMERICAN (22-9) at MARYLAND (26-7)
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2003 * 7:30 p.m.
COMCAST CENTER GYMNASIUM, COLLEGE PARK, Md.
LIVESTATS

The University of Maryland volleyball team, ranked No. 25 in the nation in the latest USA TODAY/AVCA Coaches Poll, is set to host American University (22-9) in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Friday night. The 7:30 p.m. match will be played in Comcast Center Gymnasium, following a 5:30 match between George Mason (16-14) and Colorado State (28-4).

The winners of Friday's matches will play at 7 p.m. Saturday night in Comcast Center.

The Terrapins (26-7) earned an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament after winning the ACC Championship with a 3-1 victory over then-No. 6 Georgia Tech. ACC Coach of the Year Janice Kruger's squad has won four matches in a row and Maryland makes its fifth appearance at the NCAA's.

College Park was selected as a host site for the third time, but the first-ever NCAA Tournament matches will be played in Comcast Center Gymnasium on Friday.

The Eagles and Terrapins did not meet this season, but Maryland holds a 13-1 advantage in the all-time series. The last time the two teams met was on Sept. 28, 1998, when the Terrapins prevailed, 3-0, in College Park.

About American
The Eagles are 22-9 on the year and earned an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament by winning the Patriot League Championship. Leading American is Karla Kucerkova, who is averaging 5.58 kills per game. Defensively, Kucerkova also anchors the team, averaging 2.65 digs per game.

American is making its fifth all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament. In its last time out, American defeated George Washington, 3-0. In that match, Kucerkova led the Eagles with 19 kills, six digs and a .286 hitting percentage and Courtney Mulford contributed to the win, posting eight kills and a .727 hitting percentage.

The Eagles enter the tournament on a seven-match win streak, including a win over Bucknell for their third consecutive Patriot League Champsionship.

Terps At The NCAA Tournament
Maryland's all-time record at the NCAA Tournament is 2-4 since 1990, with second-round appearances in 1995, 1996 and 1997. This is the third time the Terrapins will play an NCAA match at home, as they have a 2-1 all-time record in tournament matches in College Park.

Maryland will look to "reverse the curse" of being ACC Champions. Each previous year they entered the tournament as conference champs (1990 and 1996), they have lost in the first round.

Since 1990, Maryland's NCAA tournament wins have come over Miami (Ohio) and Princeton, while its losses have come at the hands of Texas, Louisville and Ohio State (twice).

In Maryland's two NCAA Tournament victories, the matches were played in College Park, and if the Terrapins are able to advance to the regional round in Gainesville, Fla., they will be the first Maryland team to do so.

Maryland Head Coach Janice Kruger
One of the top coaches in the Atlantic Coast Conference and the entire country, Janice Kruger was named the ACC's Coach of the Year for 2003 and is in her 16th season as head coach of the Maryland Terrapins. Kruger has built a powerful program in College Park that includes 1990, 1996 and 2003 ACC titles and trips to the NCAA Tournament in 1990, 1995, 1996, 1997 and 2003. Kruger's success has not gone without notice, as she has been named both the ACC and District III Coach of the Year in 1990, 1996 and 1997, in addition to ACC Coach of the Year honors this season.

Already the winningest active coach in the ACC, Kruger recently registered her 300th career win at Maryland, bringing her record with the Terrapins to 303-197 (678-302-6 in her career as a head coach).

Kruger made history again at the ACC Tournament in 2003, becoming the all-time winningest volleyball coach in ACC history with 303 conference victories.

Terrapins In The Polls
The 2003 Terrapins have been a consistent presence in the USA TODAY/AVCA Coaches Poll. Since debuting in the poll on Oct. 13 with two votes, the Terps have moved up through the weeks. Their top listing came after winning the ACC Championship, when they entered the Top 25 at the No. 25 slot.

Player Streaks and Storylines
*Junior outside hitter Maria DiLivio has recorded a team-best 18 double-doubles so far this season, including a string of six straight during the regular season. She is also the only player to post more service aces than service errors.

*Setter Aimee Huddleston, who averages 12.59 assists per game, has handed out a grand total of 1,599 assists this season - the most in a single season of any Terrapin in history. Huddleston is also the only Terp who averages at least one kill, block, dig and assist per game, and was the only player to record a triple-double this year (Oct. 4 at Clemson).

*Senior Lynnsy Jones became just the third Maryland player in school history to be named the Atlantic Coast Conferece Tournament's Most Valuable Player. She joins Colleen Hurley (1990) and Elizabeth Efron (1996) on the prestigious list.

*Sophomore Rachel Wagener has led the ACC in blocks for most of the season, averaging 1.54 per game.