Sept. 11, 2003
Maryland volleyball (5-2, 0-0 ACC) returns home to Comcast Center Gymnasium this weekend as they take on three non-conference opponents at the Terrapin Invitational in College Park.
Tournament Schedule
Friday, Sept. 12
11:00 a.m. College of Charleston vs. Virginia Tech
1: 30 p.m. Maryland vs. Morgan State
5: 30 p.m. Virginia Tech vs. Morgan State
7: 30 p.m. Maryland vs. College of Charleston
Saturday, Sept. 13
11:00 a.m. College of Charleston vs. Morgan State
1: 00 p.m. Maryland vs. Virginia Tech
***IMPORTANT PARKING INFORMATION: Fans are welcome to park in Lot 4B for Friday's matches; no tickets will be issued to cars parked in 4B. (For a campus parking map click here, then click on Comcast Center on the left side of the page.) For Saturday's matches, fans are welcome to park in the lots surrounding Comcast Center for free prior to 12 p.m., after that, there is an $8 charge due to the Maryland home football game.
All tournament matches will be held in Comcast Center Gymnasium; admission is free
The Terrapin Invitational
Maryland hosts non-conference foes this weekend with College of Charleston, Morgan State and Virginia Tech visiting College Park. The tournament uses the same format as the Maryland Invitational, where the Terrapins finished third two weeks ago - defeating Villanova but faltering against then-No. 25 Michigan State and Tennessee. Last weekend, the Terps claimed the Doubletree Boca Bash title by besting host Florida Atlantic, The Citadel and South Florida. After Tuesday's win at Towson, the Terrapins enter this weekend's two-day, round-robin tournament with a 5-2 record.
Kill-er Combination
The twosome of senior Lynnsy Jones (Castro Valley, Calif.) and junior Maria DiLivio (Hamilton, Ontario) has packed quite a punch for the Terps in 2003. Together, the duo accounts for over 48 percent of the team's kills (175 of 363) and both are on a pace to finish near the top of the ACC in that statistic. DiLivio leads the team in kills (91), kills per game (3.96), digs (75) and digs per game (3.26) and Jones, this week's ACC Player of the Week, has amassed 84 kills, 58 digs and a team-high 13 service aces.
At The Net
The blocking trio of Stephanie Smith (Bethesda, Md.), Rachel Wagener (Chesapeake, Va.) and Aimee Huddleston (Keller, Texas) have helped to improve the Terrapins' defense this season. Leading the way is Smith with 36 total blocks (six solo) in seven matches, good for an average of 1.5 per game. Wagener and Huddleston are right behind her, with 34 and 32 blocks, respectively. As a team, the Terps are averaging over three blocks a game.
Ace In The Hole
Serving has been a strong point for the Terps, as they have notched 44 aces on the year. Jones leads all players with 13, and DiLivio has posted eight. All six starters for the Terps have at least three service aces, and nine players on the squad have at least one ace for the year.
Quarterbacking The Squad
Junior setter Aimee Huddleston, a first-year starter for head coach Janice Kruger's team, has set up an amazing 80 percent of the Terrapins' kills. Huddleston has done a little bit of everything, as she ranks third on the team in blocking and has 41 digs in addition to her blocking numbers.
Virginia Tech
The Hokies enter the Terrapin Invitational at 4-4 on the year, and most recently dropped a four-game match at the University of Virginia. Returning starter Annie Spicer, a junior outside hitter, leads her team with 139 kills and 89 digs. Head coach Greg Smith is in his fourth season at the helm of the Hokies and has amassed a 43-46 record in Blacksburg. Maryland owns a 2-0 advantage all-time against Virginia Tech, with the most recent meeting taking place on Sept. 2, 1994. The Terps won in Blacksburg, 3-1 (9-15, 15-10, 15-10, 15-7).
Morgan State
The Bears are coached by Ramona Riley-Bozier and are 2-6 on the season with victories over Hampton and Lafayette. Most recently, Morgan State traveled to Las Vegas, N.V., and dropped three matches at the Rebel Invitational. Tiffany Oliver leads her team in kills (114), aces (17) and blocks (24). Maryland owns a 3-0 all-time record against Morgan State.
College of Charleston
The Cougars, last season's Southern Conference champions, enter the Terrapin Invitational with a 3-3 overall record. Most recently, College of Charleston defeated Clemson in five games. They are coached by Sherry Dunbar, who is in her first year. The Cougars are led by Stephanie Ballard and Kaycie Carr.
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 the message "Volleyball Email" as the subject and you will receive every update distributed about the team.
Scores On Your Cell Phone
Maryland fans can now get score updates sent directly to their cell phones! Just go to any schedule page at www.umterps.com to sign up for the service.
