Terps Welcome UNC in Primetime
9/22/2011 8:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Sept. 22, 2011
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COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Fresh off of an ACC-opening win over Boston College Tuesday, the Maryland volleyball team will welcome North Carolina and N.C. State to Comcast Pavilion this weekend. The match between the Terps and Tar Heels will be televised live on the ACC Regional Sports Network, which includes Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic, Fox Sports South and Fox Sports Carolinas (click the links to check your local listings) Friday, Sept. 23 at 7 p.m. The Terps will meet the Wolfpack Sunday, Sept. 25 at 2 p.m.
The Terrapins will be looking for consecutive conference wins to open the ACC season for the first time since 2005, the last time Maryland captured the ACC championship. The familiar confines of Comcast Pavilion should help. The Terps are 5-1 at home this season with three of the victories coming in straight sets.
Sophomore Mary Cushman leads Maryland's attack. Cushman has tallied 146 kills, an average of 2.98 per set, and recorded double-digit kills in seven of the last eight matches. Freshman Ashleigh Crutcher provides support along the frontline. Crutcher's 132 kills is second best.
The Maryland offense runs through junior Remy McBain. McBain is 165 assists shy of moving into fifth all-time at Maryland. This season, McBain leads the ACC in assists (489) and her per set average (9.78) is sixth.
As a team, the Terps lead the conference in digs (832) led by sophomore Sarah Harper. Harper's 213 digs are tops in the ACC and she is sixth with 4.53 digs per set.
Junior Caitlin Adams and freshman Adreene Elliott have totaled 89 blocks this season and rank one and two for the Terps, respectively. Elliott has 17 blocks in the last five matches including six against No. 25 Ohio State on Sept. 17.
The Tar Heels are 37-23 all-time against Maryland and have won five the last six meetings. Maryland's lone win during that span came at home in 2009. The Terps are 42-18 against N.C. State and have won the past five matches.
North Carolina
| 2011 North Carolina Tar Heels: 8-3, 0-0 ACC | ||
| Roster | Schedule | Statistics |
North Carolina head coach Joe Sagula is in his 22nd season at Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels arrive at Comcast Pavilion after winning two of three at the Tar Heel Classic. After losing to Tulsa 3-1 (25-23, 19-25, 25-22, 27-25), the Tar Heels defeated Miami (Ohio) 3-0 (25-15, 25-13, 25-22), and Saint Louis 3-0 (29-27, 25-21, 25-12).
The Tar Heels lead the conference in kills per set, hitting percentage and assists per set. Junior Emily McGee leads UNC in kills (148) and is second in the ACC in kills per set (4.23).
Senior Erica Behm is North Carolina's primary setter. Her 9.31 per set average is seventh in the conference and she has totaled 298.
On defense, senior Kaylie Gibson is tenth in the ACC with 3.71 digs per set and leads the Tar Heels with 130. McGee has 96 and is averaging 2.74 per set. Freshman Chaniel Nelson is eighth in the conference in blocks averaging 1.09 per set and leads the team with 37.
N.C. State
| 2011 N.C. State Wolfpack: 12-1, 0-0 ACC | ||
| Roster | Schedule | Statistics |
After losing their first match of the season, the Wolfpack have won 12 in a row including victories over Liberty, The Citadel and Towson without dropping a set last weekend to claim the Courtyard Midtown Invitational championship. Coached by Bryan Bunn, N.C. State leads the ACC in opponent hitting percentage (.113) and aces per set (1.51) while ranking second in assists per set (13.33) and kills per set (14.42). The Wolfpack will meet Boston College Friday before traveling to College Park.
N.C. State has three players averaging more than 2.5 kills per set. Senior Margaret Salata leads the Wolfpack with 130 kills and is averaging 3.25 kills per set which is eighth in the ACC. Freshman Nicole Glass and sophomore Brie Merriwether each have over 100 kills.
Junior Megan Cyr leads the conference in assists per set (11.35) and has tallied 454. Within the ACC, Cyr only trails Maryland's Remy McBain in assists.
Senior Kelly Wood has 170 digs and is averaging 3.95 per set which is good for eighth in the ACC. Junior Alexa Micek and Cyr have totaled 107 and 102, respectively. Along the frontline, Salata has tallied 50 blocks averaging 1.25 per set which ranks fifth in the conference.
