Maryland Hosts Georgia Tech, Clemson To Close Out ACC Regular Season

Nov. 11, 2004

MARYLAND (12-12, 7-7 ACC) vs. GEORGIA TECH (21-5, 14-0 ACC)
FRI., NOV. 12, 2004 * 7:00 p.m.
COLLEGE PARK, Md. * COMCAST CENTER PAVILION (1,500)

MARYLAND vs. CLEMSON (17-12, 6-8 ACC)
SENIOR NIGHT
SAT., NOV. 13, 2004 * 6:00 p.m.
COLLEGE PARK, Md. * COMCAST CENTER PAVILION (1,500)

The University of Maryland volleyball team will play its final conference matches of the regular season this weekend when it hosts Georgia Tech and Clemson on Friday and Saturday in Comcast Center Pavilion. The Terps will look to snap the Yellow Jackets' 19-match win streak Friday night at 7 p.m., while Saturday's 6 p.m. match with Clemson is Senior Night for seniors Jennifer Dewalt, Maria DiLivio, Aimee Huddleston, Kathy Shahrokh and Sarah Treadwell. Gametracker is available for both matches on umterps.com.

Noting The Terrapins

Maryland played two five-game matches in the Sunshine State last weekend, as it was edged by Miami Friday night in Coral Gables but defeated Florida State Sunday in Tallahassee. In both matches, Maryland battled back from an 0-2 deficit to force a decisive fifth game. With the win over the Seminoles, the Terps are now 12-12 overall, 7-7 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The weekend in Florida marked the seventh-straight week that the Terps have gone 1-1.

This weekend's matches are Maryland's final regular season conference contests. Comcast Center Pavilion has been good to the team, as the Terps are 7-3 at home in 2004. Maryland currently sits in a tie for fourth in the ACC standings, as the Terps, Virginia, Florida State and Virginia Tech all have conference records of 7-7.

The Terps faced both Georgia Tech and Clemson earlier this season on the road, dispatching the Tigers on Oct. 15 (3-1) in Jervey Gym but falling to the Yellow Jackets on Oct. 16 (3-0) in O'Keefe Gymnasium.

For the first time in 10 weeks, Maryland leads the ACC in blocks, averaging over three a game. In out-blocking its opponents, 3.03-2.54, Maryland is ranked 23rd in the nation in the category. Leading the way are junior middle blockers Stephanie Smith and Rachel Wagener, who have each recorded at least 120 total blocks for the Terps in 2004. Smith has 128 blocks on the year (including a team-high 23 solo) and is averaging 1.38 per game (third in the ACC). Also strong is Wagener, who has posted 120 blocks on the year and averages 1.29 total blocks per game (seventh in the ACC). Offensively, Wagener is hitting a team-high .294 (ninth in the ACC), while Smith's attack percentage is .275.

Senior Leaders, Senior Night

The offensive and defensive contributions of seniors Sarah Treadwell and Maria DiLivio have led Maryland in 2004. Treadwell averages a team-high 3.33 kills and 3.56 digs per game, while DiLivio is averaging 3.14 digs per game. Senior Jennifer Dewalt, meanwhile, has come on strong for the Terps' block, as she ranks third on the team in the category and averages over a block a game. Dewalt, who has recorded 94 blocks (10 solo) and 203 kills this year, led all players with 20 kills on Nov. 7 vs. FSU.

Saturday's match vs. Clemson is Senior Night. Prior to the match, seniors Jennifer Dewalt, Maria DiLivio, Aimee Huddleston, Kathy Shahrokh and Sarah Treadwell will be honored. The five players have left their mark on the Maryland volleyball program, winning the 2003 ACC Championship and advancing to the second round of the 2003 NCAA Tournament. As a class (Huddleston, Treadwell and Dewalt arrived in 2001; DiLivio arrived in 2000 and redshirted 2002; Shahrokh arrived in 2000 and redshirted 2001), the quintet has won more than 80 matches and been part in some of the biggest victories in Maryland volleyball history.

Steady Hand

One of those seniors, now in her second season orchestrating the Maryland offense, is setter Aimee Huddleston. Huddleston has been rock solid for the Terps, as she is averaging nearly 12 assists per game and recently recorded her 3,000th-career assist. With 3,122 assists throughout her four years on the Terrapin roster, Huddleston currently sits in fourth place on Maryland's all-time charts for the category, and is just the fourth Terrapin to reach the 3,000 career assist mark (Eden Kroeger, Lindsay Davey and Nicole Lantagne are the others).

Also important to note is Huddleston's versatility, a characteristic she has become known for throughout her career. She is also averaging over two digs and nearly one block per game for the Terps, and has also notched 77 kills in 2004.

Freshman Sensations

Freshmen Jade Brown and Beth Gillming are making an immediate impact in their first year of collegiate volleyball. Brown, who recorded her first-career kill on Oct. 2 at North Carolina, has exploded onto the conference scene by averaging 3.32 kills per game and notching over 150 kills this season. In 12 matches, the Atlanta, Ga., native has reached double digits in kills eight times, highlighted by a 24-kill performance on Oct. 22 vs. Wake Forest.

Gillming, who has played in all but one game and every match for the Terrapins, is also having an outstanding freshman season. The Cincinnati, Ohio, native has appeared in the Terps' starting lineup and ranks third on the team for digs per game with 2.99. She has also recorded 22 kills and leads the team with 19 service aces. Gillming recorded her first career kill on Sept. 3 vs. Kansas State and has seen extensive action in the back row since then. She was dominant at the libero position vs. Duke on Oct. 23, recording a career-hig 32 digs (a team-high for the year). Most recently at Florida State, she again led the team with 18 digs and also contributed a career-high four aces. In 24 matches, Gillming has reached double-digits for digs in 13 of those contests.

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 1,174 digs for her career and sits in fourth place on Maryland's all-time list in the category. She is 155 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. She broke the record in the Terps' next match, Oct. 8 vs. FSU. With 355 career block assists, Wagener is now the school record-holder in the category.

The junior is also quickly approaching Maryland's career total blocks record, as she currently has 401 in less than three seasons. The school record is 418, set by Kelli Myers from 1987-89.

Last Time Out: Maryland 3, Florida State 2

The University of Maryland volleyball team came back from an 0-2 deficit to defeat Florida State, 3-2 (26-30, 19-30, 30-20, 30-24, 15-10), Nov. 7 in Tully Gymnasium. The Terrapins were led by Jennifer Dewalt with 20 kills and seven blocks and Rachel Wagener with seven kills and 10 blocks.

For Maryland, it was the second time in as many matches that it came back from a two-game deficit to force a decisive fifth game. The Terps (12-12, 7-7 ACC) now have a 3-4 record in five-game matches this year. It was also the second year in a row that the Terps came back on the Seminoles in Tallahassee, as Maryland rallied from 0-2 to win on Nov. 14, 2003, in Tully Gym.

Maryland took an early 4-2 lead on two consecutive blocks by Stephanie Smith, but the Seminoles went on to build as much as a nine-point lead later in the first game. The Terrapins would not go away though, as a Jennifer Dewalt kill made the score 17-25. From there, the Terps went on a 8-3 run, capped off by a Jade Brown kill, to pull within four points at 24-28. FSU hung on, however, for the 30-26 victory. The Terps were led in game one by Dewalt with four kills and Beth Gillming with six digs.

In game two, the Terps were out-hit by the `Noles, .324-.095, and fell by a score of 30-19 - despite getting six kills from Dewalt and two blocks each from Aimee Huddleston and Rachel Wagener.

In game three, the Terrapins hit a blistering .346 and registered six of their season-high 12 aces to earn a 30-20 victory. Beth Gillming, playing libero for Maryland, notched two aces in the third game, and finished with a career-high four for the match.

Maryland continued its momentum and evened the match with a 30-24 fourth-game victory. The Terps got a big offensive spark from Jade Brown, who tallied six kills in the game.

FSU jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the fifth and final game off of two consecutive aces by Ashley Meyer. The Terps came back to tie the game at three, however, and then built an 8-5 lead behind a Kathy Shahrokh ace and two blocks by Rachel Wagener. The Terps went on to out-hit FSU, .462-.-087, to clinch the match with a 15-10 victory.

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. On Oct. 9 vs Miami, Luhrsen saw time at libero and notched nine digs.

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. Baldwin, who saw her first playing time in an ACC match on Oct. 3 at NC State, also came off the bench strong on Oct. 22 vs. Wake Forest by tallying two block assists.

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

Scouting Georgia Tech

The Yellow Jackets have a 21-5 overall record and come to College Park with a perfect 14-0 ACC mark. Tech is on a 19-match win streak and a 14-match conference win streak. The last team to beat the Jackets in ACC play was Maryland, as the Terps bested them in the finals of the 2003 ACC Tournament on Nov. 23, 2003.

Georgia Tech is led by Lynnette Moster with 440 kills on the year (5.24 per game) and Lauren Sauer with 368 kills (4.49 per game). Marisa Aston leads the team in digs by averaging 4.43 per game.

Georgia Tech, as a team, leads the conference in hitting percentage (.299) and kills per game (18.36).

Maryland leads the all-time series with Georgia Tech, 22-17, but fell to the Jackets 3-0 earlier this year in Atlanta.

In that match, Jade Brown led the Terps offensively, as she posted 10 kills in front of her hometown crowd. Jennifer Dewalt, meanwhile, finished with nine kills and four blocks, while Stephanie Smith added eight kills and four blocks for the Terps. Maria DiLivio had 18 digs and Aimee Huddleston had 34 assists, 10 digs and a kill.

Georgia Tech is coached by Bond Shymansky, who is in his third year at the helm of the Yellow Jacket volleyball program.

Scouting Clemson

The Tigers enter the weekend with a 17-12 overall record (6-8 ACC) and will face Virginia Friday night before traveling to College Park for Saturday's match.

Clemson is led by Leslie Finn, who leads her team and ACC in kills (5.51 per game), and Brittany Rose with 389 kills (3.70 per game). Anna Vallinch leads the team in digs by averaging over five per game.

Clemson, as a team, ranks third in the league in service aces (1.69 per game) and fourth in digs (17.39 per game), assists (14.75 per game), kills (15.73 per game) and hitting percentage (.234).

Maryland holds a slight edge in the all-time series, 25-23, including a 3-1 victory in Jervey Gym earlier this year.

In that match, Jade Brown led the Terps with 19 kills, while Maria DiLivio had a match-high 24 digs. Rachel Wagener hit a team-high .400 and posted 14 kills and Jennifer Dewalt added 13 kills and six blocks. Stephanie Smith and Sarah Treadwell also had good showings with 12 and 11 kills, respectively. Treadwell added 18 digs while freshman Beth Gillming notched 12 digs and a team-high three aces.

The Clemson program is in its 12th season with Jolene Jordan Hoover at the helm.

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 11.78 assists per game while contributing 2.13 digs per game.

Wagener is averaging 2.51 kills per game and has posted 120 blocks on the year (1.29 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 316-210, while her overall record is 691-315-6. 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 faced her former coach in Kruger. The Terps prevailed in a five-game battle in the first volleyball meeting between the teams.

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

Following Saturday's match with Clemson, the Terps will await their seeding in the 2004 ACC Tournament, held on Nov. 18-21 at the University of Virginia.

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.

Maryland Hosts Georgia Tech, Clemson To Close Out ACC Regular Season

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