Terps To Take On Seminoles, Hurricanes This Weekend At Comcast Center Pavilion

Oct. 7, 2004

MARYLAND (7-7, 2-2 ACC) vs. FLORIDA STATE (8-6, 1-3 ACC)
FRI., OCT. 8, 2004 * 7:00 p.m.
COLLEGE PARK, Md. * COMCAST CENTER PAVILION

MARYLAND vs. MIAMI (6-5, 2-2 ACC)
SAT., OCT. 9, 2004 * 8:00 p.m.
COLLEGE PARK, Md. * COMCAST CENTER PAVILION

The University of Maryland volleyball team returns to Comcast Center Pavilion, where it is unbeaten in 2004, to face ACC foes Florida State and Miami on Friday and Saturday. The Terps, who are an even 7-7 (2-2 ACC) on the year, tangle with the Seminoles Friday at 7 p.m., followed by a Saturday matchup with the Hurricanes Saturday at 8 p.m. Livestats are available on umterps.com for both matches.

Fans should note that the Maryland football team hosts Georgia Tech at 3:30 p.m. in Byrd Stadium on Saturday. Due to traffic tie-ups associated with cars leaving campus after that game, those fans traveling to campus for the volleyball match would be encouraged to try and arrive close to the 8 p.m. start time.

Noting The Terrapins

Maryland concluded a four-match road swing by splitting matches at North Carolina and NC State last weekend, as it dropped a match to the Tar Heels, 3-1, Saturday night, but bounced back with a 3-0 sweep of NC State on Sunday. The Terps are 7-7 on the year and 2-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The Terrapins won both matches with Florida State in 2003, as Maryland dominated, 3-0, at home, and outlasted the Seminoles, 3-2, in Tallahassee. This will be the first-ever volleyball meeting between Maryland and Miami.

Maryland is unbeaten at Comcast Center Pavilion in 2004 with a perfect 4-0 mark. After making the arena their home in 2003, the Terrapins are an impressive 16-5 all-time on the court.

As a team, Maryland is averaging nearly three blocks a game and ranks second in the conference in the category behind NC State while outblocking its opponents, 2.98-2.71. Leading the way is junior middle blocker Stephanie Smith, who has recorded 68 blocks (including a team-high 14 solo) on the year and is averaging 1.36 per game (fourth in the ACC). Also providing strong blocking is junior Rachel Wagener, who has posted 64 blocks on the year and averages 1.28 total blocks per game (seventh in the ACC). Each player is also hitting a team-high .307.

Joining the middles on the conference top-10 lists is Sarah Treadwell, who ranks 10th in kills (3.62 per game) and ninth in digs (3.64 per game) and Aimee Huddleston, who is seventh in assists (11.92 per game).

Welcome Back

Miami head coach Nicole Lantagne Welch is returning to College Park, where she spent her playing days as Terp coach Janice Kruger's setter. A four-year starter from 1990-93 and a first team All-ACC selection her junior and senior seasons, Lantagne Welch led Maryland to its first-ever ACC Championship in 1990 and was named to the Atlantic Coast Conference's 50th Anniversary Team - one of six former Terps chosen.

Lantagne Welch left Maryland as the all-time assists and digs leader and remains the career digs leader with 1,668. She is now third on the all-time assists chart with 3,626.

Two of a Kind

The hard-hitting combination of Sarah Treadwell and Maria DiLivio has sparked the Maryland offense in 2004. The duo accounts for nearly 30 percent of the Terps' kills (323 out of 755). Treadwell averages a team-leading 3.62 kills and 3.64 digs per game, while DiLivio is averaging 2.84 kills and 2.86 digs per game.

Record Watch

Sarah Treadwell notched her 1,000th career dig on Sept. 25 at Wake Forest. The senior headed into the match needing nine to hit the milestone and recorded 11 on the night. Treadwell now has 1,025 digs for her career and sits in fourth place on Maryland's all-time list in the category. She is 304 digs away from Carey Brennan's four-year total, 1,329.

Rachel Wagener, already one of the most prolific blockers in Terrapin history, recorded her 303rd career block assist on Oct. 3 at NC State, tying Sherry Smith for Maryland's individual career total in the category. With one more block assist, she will become the all-time career leader.

Another Terp poised to hit an impressive milestone is senior Maria DiLivio, who is on pace to join the elite club of Maryland volleyball players who have recorded both 1,000 kills and digs for their careers. DiLivio needs 41 kills for 1,000 on her career and is on track for 1,000 digs as well.

Last Time Out: Maryland 3, NC State 0

Rachel Wagener had 12 kills and tied the school record for career block assists as the University of Maryland volleyball team defeated NC State, 3-0 (30-19, 30-21, 30-19), in Reynolds Coliseum. Sarah Treadwell just missed recording a double-double with 10 kills and eight digs, while Rachel Moore anchored the Terrapin defense with a match-high 13 digs.

The Terrapins overpowered the Wolfpack in game one, as Maryland hit an impressive .353 as a team and Treadwell had five kills. Wagener and Maria DiLivio posted four kills each in the first game, and Wagener added a service ace on game point to give the Terps a 30-19 victory.

Jennifer Dewalt and Stephanie Smith teamed up for back-to-back blocks to give Maryland a 10-5 advantage early in game two. From there, the Terps would benefit from four second-game kills from Dewalt and Wagener and three from freshman Jade Brown. Wagener also notched the 303rd block assist of her career in the second game, tying Sherry Smith for Maryland's individual career total in the category. The Terps out-hit the Wolfpack, .400-.188, and outblocked NC State, 4-1, for the 30-21 second-game victory. Smith finished with five kills and a tied a career-high with 10 blocks. Dewalt had five kills for the match, along with four blocks.

With the game knotted at 13 apiece in the third game, Maryland pulled away and closed the door on NC State, taking the contest with a 30-19 victory.

Terrapin setter Aimee Huddleston led Maryland with 32 assists on the afternoon.

Immediate Impact

Freshman Beth Gillming, who has played in all but one game and every match for the Terrapins, is making an immediate impact in her first year of collegiate volleyball. The Cincinnati, Ohio, native has appeared in the Terps' starting lineup and ranks third on the team for digs per game with 2.69. She has also recorded 14 kills.

Gillming recorded her first career kill on Sept. 3 vs. Kansas State and has seen extensive action in the back row since then. On Sept. 24 vs. Duke, Gillming recorded an impressive career-high 23 digs and followed up that performance with 16 digs in the victory over Wake Forest on Sept. 25. In 14 matches, Gillming has reached double-digits for digs in six of those contests.

Another freshman with a bright future with the Terps is newcomer Jade Brown, who saw her first action and recorded her first career kill on Oct. 2 at North Carolina. The Atlanta, Ga., native was inserted into the line up and immediately gave the Terps an offensive spark, notching eight kills. She followed that up with a five-kill performance at NC State on Oct. 3.

Fresh Faces

Including Gillming and Brown, Kruger's squad welcomes five new faces in 2004. Charese Baldwin, Jade Brown, Mary Beth Brown, Gillming and Katie Luhrsen are the Terps' class of 2008, along with redshirt freshman Tina Aramburu.

Luhrsen got her first collegiate action at the Houston Invitational, playing in two games vs. California on Sept. 4. Luhrsen had a strong showing, as she tallied eight digs and two assists.

Baldwin played in her first collegiate match vs. Towson on Sept. 15. She recorded her first career kills on Sept. 18 vs. Georgetown, including the match-winner.

Aramburu earned her first collegiate experience vs. Georgetown on Sept. 18, notching a dig.

Scouting Florida State

The Seminoles have an 8-6 (1-3 ACC) record after sweeping Wake Forest (30-20, 41-39, 30-26) at home on Oct. 2. In that match, Kristen Rust led FSU with 17 kills and a .308 attack percentage, while Summer Weissing added 19 digs and Amanda Santos posted 10 kills, six digs and five blocks. The Seminoles' conference losses have come at the hands of Virginia Tech, Miami and Duke.

Rust is averaging 3.35 kills per game and 2.22 digs per game for the Seminoles. Santos ranks second in the conference for hitting percentage (.404) and sixth for blocks (1.31 per game). Jessica Skower is sixth in the conference for assists (12.04 per game), while Summer Weissing is averaging 3.50 digs per game.

Florida State, as a team, ranks fourth in the conference in blocks (2.86 per game).

The Florida State program is in its third season with Todd Kress at the helm. Kress has compiled a 45-36 record in Tallahassee.

Maryland leads the all-time series with FSU, 17-11, and swept two matches with the Seminoles last season. The teams' last meeting, on Nov. 14, 2003 in Tallahassee, resulted in a 3-2 Maryland victory.

In that match, Janice Kruger earned her 300th victory with the Terrapins, who secured a second-place finish in the conference with the win. The match was also the start of a five-match win streak that included the Terps' run to the ACC Championship. Jen Dewalt led the team with 10 kills, three blocks and a .333 hitting percentage. Sarah Treadwell posted 12 kills and 12 digs, while Stephanie Smith had 10 kills and a team-high seven blocks.

The last time the Seminoles won in College Park was on Nov. 2, 2002, a four-game victory (30-25, 20-30, 30-23, 30-27).

Terps head coach Janice Kruger is 8-8 all-time against Florida State.

Scouting Miami

Miami, a new addition in 2004 to the Atlantic Coast Conference, enters the weekend at 6-5 overall (2-2 ACC). The Hurricanes' conference wins came over Florida State and Wake Forest, while their losses have been to Virginia Tech and Duke.

In its last match, Miami lost at home to Duke (30-24, 25-30, 25-30, 30-27, 16-18). In that match, Valeria Tipiana had 25 kills and 19 digs to lead the Hurricanes.

Tipiana ranks fourth in the ACC for kills per game (4.88) and leads the league with 34 service aces on the year. Jamie Grass averages over four digs per game, good for a seventh-place ranking in the ACC.

Miami, as a team, ranks third in the conference in blocks (2.86 per game), second in assists (15.00 per game) and third in kills (15.83 per game).

Hurricane head coach Nicole Lantagne Welch was a setter for the University of Maryland from 1990-93 and is in her fourth season at the helm of Miami. She has compiled a 72-27 record in Coral Gables, and is facing her alma mater for the first time as a head coach.

This is the first meeting between Maryland and Miami in volleyball action.

Maryland Picked To Finish Second In ACC

The University of Maryland volleyball team was selected to finish second in the ACC Preseason Coaches Poll. The Terrapins, who earned the school's third ACC title a season ago, earned 112 points and finished just behind Georgia Tech with 116 points. Rounding out the top was North Carolina (93) and Wake Forest (78).

Huddleston And Wagener: Preseason All-ACC

Senior setter Aimee Huddleston, a first-team All-ACC selection last season, and Rachel Wagener, a second-team honoree in 2003, represent Maryland on the preseason All-ACC squad.

Huddleston is averaging 11.92 assists per game while contributing 1.94 digs per game and 1.04 kills per game.

Wagener is averaging 2.62 kills per game and has posted 64 blocks on the year (1.28 per game).

Kruger Embarks On 17th Season At Maryland

Janice Kruger, who became the ACC's all-time winningest coach last season, returns for her 17th year at the helm of the Terrapins. Her record at Maryland is 311-205, while her overall record is 686-310-6. Last season's ACC Coach of the Year and AVCA Region Coach of the Year, Kruger won her third ACC Championship and made her fifth appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

2004 Schedule: One Of The Toughest

Maryland, which captured the ACC Championship last season en route to its fifth NCAA Tournament appearance, faced three teams that advanced to the 2003 NCAA Sweet Sixteen within the first two weeks of the fall schedule.

Maryland's home tournament took place on Sept. 17-18 in Comcast Center Pavilion and proved that its home court is a tough place to play. With four wins at home in the 2004 campaign, Maryland is now 13-5 all-time in Comcast Center.

The Terps opened the ACC portion of their schedule on Sept. 24-25 at Duke and Wake Forest, earning a victory over the Demon Deacons but falling to the Blue Devils.

New to the ACC this year are Miami and Virginia Tech. Miami head coach, Nicole Lantagne Welch, is a former Maryland setter and will face her former coach in Kruger.

The Terrapins, who defeated Georgia Tech, 3-1, for the 2003 ACC Tournament title will look to defend their crown at this year's tournament which is being held in Charlottesville, Va., on Nov. 18-21.

The team will have a final regular-season game after that tournament, a home contest vs. Miami (Ohio) on Nov. 27.

Up Next

The Terps continue conference action with two matches next weekend at Clemson and Georgia Tech. The match with the Tigers on Fri., Oct. 15 at 7 p.m., will be played in Jervey Gym, while the Georgia Tech match begins at 7 p.m. on Sat., Oct. 16 in O'Keefe Gymnasium.

Email Straight To You

If you would like the latest Maryland volleyball news emailed to you directly as soon as it breaks, email volleyball contact Amy Mulligan at mulligan@umd.edu with "Volleyball Email" as the subject and you will receive every update distributed on the team.

Terps To Take On Seminoles, Hurricanes This Weekend At Comcast Center Pavilion

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