Oct. 16, 2008
Match Notes 
Season Stats | Volleyblog
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
The University of Maryland volleyball team welcomes a pair of Atlantic Coast Conference powers this weekend when Georgia Tech and defending conference champion Clemson visit Comcast Pavilion Friday evening and Sunday afternoon, respectively.
The Georgia Tech match is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, with Clemson coming to town for a 1 p.m. Sunday matchup.
Sunday's match is this year's "Dig for the Cure" match, where players and coaches will wear pink ribbons and fans can donate money to help raise money to find a cure for breast cancer. Additionally, there will be a silent auction to win Maryland merchandise and Under Armour will be giving away Power in Pink T-shirts during some of the match's promotions.
The Terrapins enter the weekend with a 5-14 record and 1-6 mark in ACC play. Maryland has lost six straight matches since taking its conference opener against Boston College.
Maryland is led by junior middle blocker Katie Usher, who leads the team in kills (181), hitting percentage (.274) and service aces (14). Usher is hitting .325 in conference play, the 10th-best percentage in the ACC. Defensively, freshman Lisa Scott is Maryland's biggest threat up front, leading the team with 70 blocks. Sophomore libero Bethany Springer is seventh in the ACC in digs, averaging 4.24 per set, including 4.92 per set in conference matches.
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are 12-5 coming into the weekend, posting a 4-3 record in the ACC.
The Yellow Jackets are one of the best offensive teams in the ACC, ranking 24th nationally with a .266 hitting percentage. The Jackets are 30th in the country in kills, averaging 13.85 per set. Talisa Kellogg leads the conference and ranks 50th nationally in kills, averaging 3.84 per set.
Maryland leads the all-time series with Georgia Tech, 25-21, and the two teams have played some incredibly-competitive matches recently. Four of the last five meetings, including three straight, have gone to five sets and the teams have split the last 10 meetings.
The Clemson Tigers, the defending ACC champions and preseason pick to repeat this season, are coming into their own after a somewhat-slow start to the season.
After dropping its first two conference matches, Clemson has won five straight to get to 5-2 in the ACC, only one game behind Virginia Tech for the conference lead. The Tigers are 13-5 overall.
Reigning ACC Player of the Week Danielle Hepburn is arguably the best player in the conference, averaging 1.52 blocks per set, the best mark in the ACC and sixth-best in the entire country. Hepburn is third in the conference in kills, averaging 3.71 per set. Teammate Lia Proctor is second in the ACC in kills, registering 3.8 per set.
Clemson ranks sixth in the country in blocks, averaging 2.87 per set. Offensively, the Tigers rank second in the ACC and 23rd nationally with a .266 hitting percentage.
The all-time series between the two schools is extremely tight with Clemson owning the smallest of advantages at 28-27, grabbing the lead with a pair of sweeps a year ago. The Tigers have won the last four meetings, overall, and six of the last 10. Maryland's last win against Clemson came Nov. 18, 2005 in College Park, Md.
-TERPS-
