Terrapin Volleyball Team Concludes Banner Season
12/9/2003 7:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Dec. 9, 2003
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The University of Maryland volleyball team started its season with clear goals: To return to the top of the Atlantic Coast Conference and to compete in the NCAA tournament. As it turned out, the team finished the year where just two other Terrapin volleyball teams ever have - as ACC Champions.
The 2003 Terrapins advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament, and were able to play the opening rounds at home in Comcast Center Gymnasium. Despite a 3-0 loss to No. 12 Colorado State to end the season, the team finished as one of the most successful volleyball teams in school history.
Picked to finish seventh in the ACC by a preseason vote of the league's head coaches, Maryland began the season by hosting three national foes in the new home of Maryland volleyball - Comcast Center Gym. At the Maryland Invitational, the Terrapins had losses to Tennessee (1-3) and then-No. 25 Michigan State (0-3), but the team used the weekend as an important learning experience and earned a victory over Villanova (3-0).
Over the next two weekends, the Terrapins cruised to titles at the DoubleTree Boca Bash and the Terrapin Invitational. Power-hitters Lynnsy Jones and Maria DiLivio were performing well and first-year starter Aimee Huddleston was leading the offense as the Terrapins went on a nine-match win streak before suffering a 2-3 loss to Southern Methodist.
The ACC portion of the Terrapins' schedule began with two victories over Duke (3-0) and Wake Forest (3-2). Middles Stephanie Smith and Rachel Wagener were delivering strong blocks and giving balance to the Terrapin attack, while Fiona DeFreitas anchored the defensive efforts at the libero position. After a 3-1 loss at then-No. 5 Georgia Tech in their third ACC match of the season, the Terrapins went on to win their next five contests and completed the first half of the ACC schedule at 7-1. The team was proving not only the preseason poll wrong, but also garnering national attention, earning votes in the USA TODAY / AVCA Coaches' Poll.
The remainder of matches against ACC teams was up and down, as Maryland upset then-No. 4 Georgia Tech in a five-game thriller at home, but was downed by Clemson and Virginia in Comcast Center. Head coach Janice Kruger earned her 300th victory at Maryland in the team's last regular-season match of the year, a 3-2 win at Florida State.
Heading into the ACC tournament, the Terrapins were confident as the No. 2 seed and as the only team to beat national powerhouse Georgia Tech all season. The weekend in Orlando began with the All-ACC accolades being announced, as three Terrapins earned honors.
Huddleston, a junior setter from Keller, Texas, earned first-team all-conference honors for the first time in her career. The team captain orchestrated a Maryland offense that hit .262 for the year and broke the single-season assist record on Nov. 14. She had 1,669 assists in 2003, the best single-season mark in Terrapin history. Huddleston averaged over 12.5 assists per game and also excelled on offense (1.15 kills per game) and defense (1.01 blocks per game).
Jones and Wagener were named to the second team, and Kruger was the ACC's Coach of the Year.
In the opening round of the conference tournament, Sarah Treadwell had a career night with 21 kills to help Maryland survive, 3-2, against Duke. From there, the team swept Clemson and dominated then-No. 6 Georgia Tech for the conference crown.
Jones, a four-year standout for the Terrapins, became just the third Terrapin to be named the ACC Tournament MVP and Janice Kruger became the all-time winningest coach in ACC volleyball history at the tournament.
As ACC Champions, the squad earned an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament, and College Park was selected as a host site for the opening rounds. The Terrapins cracked the Top 25 for the first time after winning the ACC Tournament, and now stand at No. 24 in the national poll.
At the NCAA's, the Terps swept American in the first round, 3-0, but fell to Colorado State, 0-3, in second-round action.
The Terps finished the season at 27-8 and the season was a banner one for the Terrapin volleyball program.
