Maryland Volleyball Plays Duke Friday
11/10/2005 7:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Nov. 10, 2005
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - With six conference matches remaining, the Terps visit North Carolina this weekend for contests against Duke and Wake Forest. Maryland holds a one-match advantage atop the conference standings with a 24-1, 15-1 ACC record. The Terrapins play the Blue Devils (10-5 ACC, 16-7) on Friday in Durham at 7:00 p.m., and Wake Forest (7-7, 14-9) on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. in Winston-Salem.
Ranked 24th in the NCAA, the Terrapins have held the number one position in the ACC for three weeks in a row and are shooting for their eleventh straight win. The Terps post the second best record in coach Janice Kruger's 18-year career with Maryland and have won 30 of their last 32 matches. The 2003 and 2004 Champions are 6-1 on the road this year with a 9-0 record on neutral sites.
Senior middle-blocker Rachel Wagener is #10 in the NCAA in blocks per game with a 1.61 bpg. (148 total blocks on the year). Wagener and fellow co-captain Stephanie Smith are #20 and #21 in the NCAA's top 25 in hitting percentage with a .396 and .394 hitting percentage, respectively.
Maryland is leading the ACC in hitting percentage (.285) and blocks (3.31). The Terrapins are second in kills (16.08) behind Duke (16.53), and in service aces (1.72) behind Virginia (2.02). Maryland has an average of 14.51 assists per game
Maryland's 3-0 (31-29, 31-29, 30-18) sweep of Duke on Oct.16 at the Comcast Center was one of 13 matches that the Terrapins won in a three-game sweep this season. The match was one of two that the Blue Devils lost 0-3 this year, though Duke remains undefeated at home this season.
The Blue Devils are led by sophomore middle-blocker Carrie DeMange who has an average of 4.33 kills per game (.268), helping Duke to a .222 hitting percentage for the year. With a team average of 19.05 digs per game, Duke leads the league in digs.
Duke split matches last weekend in local contests against North Carolina and North Carolina State. The Blue Devils lost to UNC 2-3 (30-27, 14-30, 20-30, 30-28, 15-17) and won 3-0 (30-23, 30-25, 30-16) against NC State.
With a series record of 24-28 against the Blue Devils, the Terps are shy just four matches to get the conference series even. The Terps split games with Duke in 2004 and last won in Durham in 2003.
The Terps' 3-2 (30-28, 28-30, 21-30, 30-26, 15-10) win against Wake Forest on Oct. 18 was one of five matches for the Terrapins that went five games this year. The Terps are 4-1 in matches that go five games.
Wake Forest is on a six game winning streak, most recently overpowering NC State 3-0 (30-22, 30-15, 30-24) and the Yellow Jackets of Georgia Tech 3-1 (30-20, 28-30, 30-21, 30-25). The last loss for the Demon Deacons was against the Terrapins in October.
The Demon Deacons are 5-1 in Winston-Salem against conference opponents. The team is led by hitters Lauren Peterson with 3.05 kills per game and Erin Borhart with a .298 hitting percentage. The team averages 2.71 blocks per game and 15.36 digs per game.
After playing Wake Forest, the Terrapins will return to the Comcast Center for their final home series matches. On Friday, Nov. 18, the Terps square off at 5:00 p.m. before the Terrapins face the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on Sunday, Nov. 20 at 1:00 p.m.
