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Women's Hoops Travels to No. 14 North Carolina
Story Links
February 12, 1999
#18 Virginia (17-6, 10-3) at
#14 North Carolina (23-5, 10-4)
Feb. 14, 1999 – 1:00 p.m.
Chapel Hill, N.C. – Carmichael Auditorium (10,000)
TV: ESPN2 (live)
Radio: WINA 1070 AM
There will be no love lost today when two of the ACC’s fiercest rivals battle for second place in the ACC standings on Valentine’s Day. The Cavaliers have to win two of their last three games to win the second seed in the tournament. The Cavaliers close out the conference schedule at Georgia Tech (Feb. 18) and at home vs. Florida State (Feb. 21). The Tar Heels finish the season at Duke (Feb. 21). Virginia is 4-2 all-time on Valentine’s Day.
This game is a match-up of the ACC’s top defensive team (Virginia) vs. the top scoring team (North Carolina). The Cavaliers lead the league in scoring defense (61.2), field goal percentage defense (.356) and blocked shots (6.5) and rank second in steals (9.8). The Tar Heels rank number one in the conference in scoring (83.9) and third in field goal percentage (.432).
The Cavaliers have won six of their last seven games. Since January, the Cavaliers are 10-3 with all three losses coming to higher-ranked teams (Duke, twice, North Carolina).
To recap the Cavalier’s last outing, DeMya Walker had 22 points, nine rebounds and four steals, leading Virginia to a 67-53 victory over North Carolina State on Feb. 8. Erin Stovall added 13 points, including a 3-pointer during a game-breaking 11-2 run midway through the second half. The Cavaliers caused 32 Wolfpack turnovers and scored 33 points from the miscues.
DeMya Walker leads the team in scoring (15.4 ppg), rebounding (8.8 rpg), assists (3.0 apg) and blocked shots (3.0 bpg). Erin Stovall is the team’s second leading scorer (14.5 ppg) while Monick Foote ranks third (12.5 ppg).
Two More to 500
Head Coach Debbie Ryan needs only two wins to reach the 500-win mark for her career. Ryan has averaged 23 wins per season and enters her 22nd season with a career and Virginia record of 498-171 (.712).
Only three other coaches in Division I have attained 500 wins at one school: Pat Summit (Tennessee), Jody Conradt (Texas) and Kay Yow (N.C. State).
Series with North Carolina
This is the 52nd meeting between the Cavaliers and Tar Heels. Virginia holds a 27-24 advantage in the series. The Cavaliers have claimed 22 of the last 28 games but North Carolina has won five of the last six games. Virginia is 11-10 in Carmichael Auditorium. Earlier this season, the Tar Heels defeated the Cavaliers 79-68 in Charlottesville.
The two teams met three times last year, with UNC claiming two of the wins. Virginia won the first contest 105-100 in the exciting triple-overtime game on Jan. 15, 1998 in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels visited University Hall on Feb. 15, 1998 and edged the Cavaliers 85-84 in a thrilling double-overtime game. The teams were paired up in the first round of the ACC Tournament and the Tar Heels pulled out a convincing 76-56 win on their way to the ACC title.
North Carolina held the upper hand in the series for the first 11 years, posting a 17-5 record. But beginning with the 1987 season, Virginia won 14 straight games and 21 of the next 23 games.
Debbie Ryan is 22-7 vs. Sylvia Hatchell and 11-10 in Carmichael Auditorium.
Virginia was the only team to beat the Tar Heels during their NCAA championship season of 1994. Not only did they beat them once, but Virginia defeated them twice in their title season in which the Tar Heels posted a record of 33-2.
How the Teams Match Up
How the team ranks vs. ACC opponents is in ( ).
Virginia N. Carolina Points 76.2 (7) 84.1 (1) Points Allowed 62.0 (1) 69.6 (7) Rebounds 40.3 42.9 Rebound Margin +2.6 (4) +1.3 (6) FG % .439 (4) .434 (3) FG% defense .371 (1) .419 (7) 3-pt FG % .283 (8) .315 (3) FT % .706 (1) .666 (7) Assists 14.3 16.4 Turnovers 18.0 15.8 Blocks 6.3 (1) 2.9 (7) Steals 10.8 (2) 12.0 (1)
Last Time vs. the Tar Heels
Juana Brown scored 16 of her 20 points in the second half, including 10 in a decisive run, as No. 7 North Carolina pulled away for a 79-68 Atlantic Coast Conference victory over 22nd-ranked Virginia (Jan. 18).
Chanel Wright and LaQuanda Barksdale added 17 points apiece for the Tar Heels (19-2, 6-1 ACC), who used a 17-1 run to erase a three-point deficit midway through the second half. North Carolina has won back-to-back games after a 17-point setback at North Carolina State.
Virginia (11-5, 5-2) opened a 48-45 lead with 14:12 to play on a layup by Erin Stovall, but Brown hit a 12-footer and three-pointer to give North Carolina a 50-48 advantage with 12:31 left.
Stovall made 1-of-2 free throws, but Brown hit another three-pointer and jumper around a layup by Barksdale as North Carolina opened a 57-49 bulge with 11:04 to go. Wright nailed a three-pointer before Barksdale capped the run with a jumper to provide a 62-49 lead with 7:39 remaining.
The Tar Heels shot only 38 percent (28-of-74) from the field but grabbed 25 offensive rebounds that led to 33 second-chance points. Barksdale grabbed seven of her 15 rebounds on the offensive end.
Stovall finished with 24 points and DeMya Walker added 13 and 10 rebounds for the Cavaliers, who shot 42 percent (27-of-64) and committed 24 turnovers.
Quick Notes
The starting line-up of Svetlana Volnaya, Lesley Brown, DeMya Walker, Erin Stovall and Renee Robinson in the Duke game was the eighth different starting line-up that Coach Ryan has used this season.
The Cavaliers are more successful in the last three days of the week than in the first three days. Virginia is 9-1 in games played on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday, and are 8-5 in games played on Sunday, Monday, or Tuesday.
Erin Stovall is nearing the record for most three-point field goals made by a sophomore. Stovall has 38 for the season and needs only five more to reach the mark set by Tora Suber (43) in 1995.
Virginia outrebounded Clemson 42-21 on Jan. 31 for its largest rebound margin of the season. The Cavaliers outrebounded their opponents by an average of 12.5 rebounds in their most recent four-game winning streak.
In the national stats, Virginia ranks 17th in field goal percentage defense (37.0). DeMya Walker ranks fourth in blocked shots (3.1).
Lisa Hosac’s string of 30 consecutive free throws was broken in the Duke game on Feb. 4. Hosac’s 30 straight free throws made established a new school record and broke the previous record of 26 set by Sandy Glasson in 1981.
In the Polls
The Cavaliers have been ranked every week in either the AP or USA Today poll since Jan. 8, 1984. The Cavaliers have been ranked a total of 276 consecutive weeks in at least one of the polls.
Virginia holds the longest active streak of any ACC team in the AP poll178 weeks. The current streak in the AP poll started on Nov. 20, 89. The Cavaliers have appeared in every USA Today poll for a total of 256 consecutive weeks.
Sly Better Off Bench
Svetlana Volnaya, or “Sly” as her teammates call her, earned a starting role early in the season and started the first 10 games. Her productivity fell off in the Auburn game and Sly found herself in a reserve role in seven of the next eight games. Below is the comparison of her stats when she starts and when she subs:
Games Pts. Reb. FG% 3-pt FG% Min.Starter 12 6.8 2.8 .315 .214 20.2Reserve 11 7.5 3.8 .424 .357 19.1
Robinson Playing Better Since Injury
Junior guard Renee Robinson suffered a moderate sprain of her left ankle at the 19:35 mark of the second half of Virginia’s game against Georgia Tech on Jan. 14. She was listed as questionable for the North Carolina game on Jan. 18 and did not start, but played a gutsy 24 minutes and dished six assists. In the seven games after the tilt with the Tar Heels, Robinson improved her to play to average 4.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. She has even taken almost as many shot in the last eight games than she did the first 15 games of the season. Below is the comparison of Robinson’s stats prior to the injury, after the injury and her cumulative stats:
G FG Pts. Reb. Ast. St. Min.Prior to injury 15 14-35 2.5 2.0 2.5 1.3 22.5Post injury 8 15-32 4.2 3.1 3.5 2.0 28.4Cumulative 23 29-67 3.1 2.4 2.8 1.5 24.6
Ryan Holds Advantage in Series with Current ACC Coaches
Debbie Ryan holds a 135-69 record against the current coaches in the ACC and holds a winning record versus every coach in the conference.
Ryan vs.
Jim Davis, Clemson 19-11Gail Goestenkors, Duke 9-6Sue Semrau, Florida St. 3-0Agnus Berenato, Georgia Tech 22-3Chris Weller, Maryland 31-20Sylvia Hatchell, North Carolina 22-7Kay Yow, N.C. State 25-22Charlene Curtis, Wake Forest 4-0 135-69
Hosac Breaks 18-year old Free Throw Record
Lisa Hosac hit 30 consecutive free throws before missing in the Duke game on Feb. 4. Hosac’s streak began when she made her last three free throws in the VCU game on Nov. 24. She entered the Wake Forest game on Jan. 28 with a string of 26 straight made free throws which tied the 18-year old record held by Sandy Glasson. With her 4-4 performance from the line vs. the Demon Deacons, Hosac broke Glasson’s record and extended the streak to 30.
The streak was very close to being broken when Hosac attempted what would be her last attempt of the night, and missed it, but Svetlana Volnaya was called for a lane violation which nullified the attempt.
She leads the team with 92.3 free throw percentage (36-39). She has missed only two free throws in ACC games (19-21, 90.5%).
Walker Ranks Second in ACC in Career Blocked Shots
DeMya Walker currently ranks second in the ACC with 317 career blocked shots. With her only block in the Florida State game on Jan. 22, she moved into sole possession of second place in the ACC standings. She needs 13 more blocks to become the ACC’s all-time leader.
Player, team Years GP Blk Avg. 1. Dawn Royster (UNC) 1984-87 110 329 3.0 2. DeMya Walker (UVa.) 1996- 116 317 2.7
Walker Moving Up in NCAA Block Party
With her 317 career blocked shots, DeMya Walker ranks 14th in NCAA history in blocked shots. The all-time NCAA record is 428 blocks by Genia Miller (Cal State Fullerton, 1988-91). If Walker breaks the ACC blocked shot record, she will be in the top 10 of the NCAA rankings.
Last Player, team Season GP Blk 1. Genia Miller (Cal State Fullerton) 1991 118 428 2. Heidi Gillingham (Vanderbilt) 1994 128 413 3. Rebecca Lobo (Connecticut) 1995 126 396 4. Chris Enger (San Diego) 1993 96 372 5. Kara Wolters (Connecticut) 1997 137 370 6. Angela Gorsica (Vanderbilt) 1997 127 368 7. Trish Andrew (Michigan) 1993 113 367 8. Denise Hogue (Coll. of Charleston) 1993 106 359 9. Amy Lundquist (Loyola Marymount/DePaul) 1997 113 33610. Dawn Royster (North Carolina) 1987 110 32911. Tajama Abraham (George Washington) 1997 130 32612. Stefanie Kasperski (Oregon) 1990 89 32213. Lisa Leslie (Southern California) 1994 120 32114. DeMya Walker (Virginia) 1999 116 317
Walker Moves Into Fourth in Career Rebounds
DeMya Walker continues to climb up the chart in career rebounds. The 6-3 senior has a career average of 7.6 rebounds per game and 889 total for her career. She needs 44 more to move ahead of Cathy Grimes in third place.
Reb. Player (years) G 1. 1221 Wendy Palmer (1993-96) 126 2. 955 Heather Burge (1990-93) 135 3. 932 Cathy Grimes (1982-85 114 4. 889 DeMya Walker (1996-present) 116 5. 853 Heidi Burge (1990-93) 134
The Long Rangers
Monick Foote and Erin Stovall are becoming one of the most deadly three-point shooting combos in school history since Foote teamed with Tora Suber several years ago. The duo combined for 111 three-pointers in 1996 and 97 treys in 1997. Foote and Stovall have 59 between them this season. Stovall has connected on 38 bombs this season and needs only five more to match Tora Suber’s sophomore record of 43.
In the career standings, Foote moved into second place ahead of Tammi Reiss with the first three-pointer she hit in the Wake Forest game on Jan. 28. Stovall who connected on 32 trifectas last season, holds onto eighth place with 70 career three-pointers.
3FGM Player (years) Att. 1. 220 Tora Suber (1994-97) 666 2. 142 Monick Foote (1995-present) 397 3. 139 Tammi Reiss (1989-92) 334 4. 134 Dena Evans (1990-93) 370 5. 131 Dawn Staley (1989-92) 371 6. 91 Kate Mooney (1995-present**) 282 91 Mimi McKinney (1995-98 ) 288 8. 70 Erin Stovall (1997-present) 248
**redshirting the 1999 season
Stovall Blazes Through January
Erin Stovall opened the new year with a scoring blitz. The 5-9 sophomore scored a career-high 26 points in the win at Clemson (Jan. 2) and followed that with 25 points in the loss at Duke (Jan. 4). Stovall was named the ACC Player of the Week (Jan. 4) for her performance and she is the first player since the 1996-97 season to score 25 or more points in back-to-back games (DeMya Walker). Stovall scored 14 points in the win over Maryland (Jan. 8) and connected on a team-high 19 points in the win at N.C. State (Jan. 11). Stovall scored eight points in a 12-1 run in the second half that sealed the win against the Wolfpack. She followed that with 19 points vs. Georgia Tech (Jan. 14) and 24 points vs. North Carolina (Jan. 18).
Since gaining a regular starting role on Jan. 2 vs. Clemson, Erin Stovall is averaging 15.3 points per game compared with 12.9 as a reserve. When she is in the starting line-up, the Cavaliers are 10-3. Against ranked opponents, Stovall averages 17.4 ppg.
On the Boards
Crashing the boards or lack thereof has been Virginia’s achilles heel this year. For a team that prided itself on rebounding in recent years, this year’s team has had its ups and downs. The Cavaliers have been outrebounded in eight games this season and are 2-6 in those games. However, when the Cavaliers outrebound their opponent, they are 15-0.
The win at Clemson was the first time this season the Cavaliers pulled out a win with fewer rebounds than the opponent (45-53). The Cavaliers squeezed out a win over Maryland on Jan. 8 despite being outrebounded 41-37.
The Cavaliers hold a +2.6 rebound margin over its opponents this season. Last season was the first time since 1988-89 that Virginia had a negative rebound margin (-1.4).
Duo Combines For Best Shooting Performance
DeMya Walker and Lesley Brown shot a combined 17-17 (1.000) in Virginia’s 102-44 win over Towson on Dec. 11 and recorded the top shooting performance in UVa history. Walker tied Wendy Palmer for the best individual shooting performance in school history with her 9-9 shooting from the field. Brown’s 8-8 performance from the field completed the best shooting performance by a duo in any single game in UVa history.
In Palmer’s 9-9 effort vs. Cleveland State on Nov. 29, 1995, Monick Foote was 5-5 from the field.
In the Towson game, Virginia shot 61.5 percent (40-65) the highest field goal percentage since Jan. 25, 1994 when the team shot 65.5 percent vs. Duke (36-55).
Cavaliers On Radio
All of the Cavaliers games, both home and away, will be broadcast on WINA 1070 AM or its sister station WKAV 1400 AM.
Robby Robinson will call the play-by-play and former Cavalier stand-out Jenny Boucek will add the color commentary.