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Feb. 5, 2000
Series With North Carolina
This game is the 55th meeting between the Tar Heels and Cavaliers. Virginia holds a slight 28-26 advantage in the spirited series which dates back to the 1975-76 season. The Tar Heels have won the five of the last six games. Three of the last seven games have gone into overtime.
The last time Virginia posted a victory over UNC was on Jan. 15, 1998 when the Cavaliers won a triple-overtime thriller 105-100 in Chapel Hill. Virginia is 11-11 vs. the Tar Heels in Chapel Hill.
(#24/23) Virginia (17-5, 9-1)
at
North Carolina (11-10, 3-7)
Feb. 7, 2000 – 7:30 p.m.
Carmichael Auditorium (10,000) – Chapel Hill, N.C.
Radio: WINA 1070 AM
TV: HTS, Fox Sports South
The Cavaliers have won 13 of their last 14 games and have won nine straight ACC games. This is the best start to an ACC season for the Cavaliers since the 1994-95 season. That year, Virginia had a 10-0 conference record through the first 10 games and went on to an undefeated 16-0 conference record. The Cavaliers are 8-1 since the Jan. 6 meeting with North Carolina in Charlottesville. This is Virginia’s second straight road game and fourth road game in the last five games. Virginia is 5-3 on the road and 4-1 in ACC road games. With the win over ninth-ranked Duke on Jan. 30, Virginia moved into sole possession of first place in the ACC standings. The Cavaliers have not been in the top spot in league standings since the 1995-96 season. The Cavaliers lead the ACC in scoring (74.5 ppg), field goal percentage (.451) and rank second in free throw percentage (.731). (stats as of Feb. 4, 2000) A testament to how well Virginia is playing as a team can be found in the ACC stats. Four Cavaliers lead the ACC in the following stat categories. Freshman Schuye LaRue leads in field goal percentage (.590), junior Svetlana Volnaya leads in three-point field goal percentage (.462), senior Lisa Hosac leads in free throw percentage (.847) and senior Renee Robinson leads in assists (5.0). (stats as of Feb. 4, 2000)
How the Teams Match Up
Virginia North CarolinaPoints 74.5 71.6Points Allowed 66.3 70.2Rebounds 36.1 41.5Rebound Margin -1.5 -0.4FG % .451 .388FG% defense .384 .4253-pt FG % .312 .3253-pt FG/game 4.5 6.0FT % .731 .677Assists 15.7 14.9Turnovers 17.8 17.1Blocks 3.7 1.4Steals 9.7 10.7
Last Time vs. North Carolina …
Renee Robinson scored a career-high 24 points and Svetlana Volnaya added 22, 19 in the second half, as Virginia upset No. 9 North Carolina 87-68.
The Cavaliers (10-4, 2-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) ended the first half with an 18-2 run to grab a 40-37 lead over the Tar Heels (9-4, 1-2).
The game was tied at 14 midway through the first half when the Tar Heels went on a 14-4 run. Rhonda Brown hit a 3-pointer with 5:37 remaining to give the Tar Heels their biggest lead, 35-22.
From that moment until about 12 minutes remaining in the game, the Cavaliers outscored the Tar Heels 42-8. Virginia began rallying late in the first half. A three-point play by Telisha Quarles with less than a minute remaining in the half tied the score at 37.
North Carolina got off to a good start, going 5-of-9 from 3-point range in the first half. But the Tar Heels shot only 23.5 percent from the field in the second half and finished the game at 36.1 percent.
Volnaya scored 14 points in the first six minutes of the second half, including three consecutive 3-pointers. Quarles had 13 points and Schuye LaRue and Lisa Hosac each had 10 for Virginia. LaRue also had nine rebounds.
North Carolina forward LaQuanda Barksdale, who led the ACC in scoring at 20.2 points per game, was scoreless in the first half and ended the game with four points and 11 rebounds.
The game was the first North Carolina has played without junior guard Nikki Teasley, who averaged 14 points and led the team in assists.
The victory extended Virginia’s winning streak to six and marked North Carolina’s second straight loss. The Tar Heels had won the last five meetings between the teams and seven of the last eight.
Crashing the Boards
The Cavaliers are 7-1 when they outrebound their opponents and 9-4 when they have less boards than the opponent. They are 1-0 when they have the same number of rebounds as their opponent. The Cavaliers have been outrebounded in seven of their last nine games.
Head Coach Debbie put a challenge to the players prior to the Wake Forest game for players to step up their numbers on the glass. Telisha Quarles, Renee Robinson, Lisa Hosac and Schuye LaRue answered the challenge and between the four, accounted for 34 of the team’s 47 rebounds vs. Wake Forest.
Virginia outrebounded Wake Forest 47-30 on Thursday for its largest rebounding margin of the season, but lost the battle of the glass 41-37 to Duke and Georgia Tech 37-33 last Thursday.
Volnaya Nails Two Free Throws For Win Over Georgia Tech
Svetlana Volnaya made two free throws with 3.5 seconds left, lifting No. 24 Virginia over Georgia Tech 66-65 on Feb. 3. Volnaya got to the line after trying to putback a missed Renee Robinson 20-foot jumper with time winding down. The rebound that led to the winning free throws was her only rebound of the game.
“I was nervous, I thought I was going to have a heart attack,” said Volnaya. “I made those free throws because my teammates believed in me. They told me I was going to make them.”
Jaime Kruppa put the Yellow Jackets ahead 65-64 with a wide-open layup with 24 seconds remaining. UVa called a timeout with 20 seconds to play , then ran 9.2 seconds off the clock, watched how Tech set up it zone defense, and called another timeout with 11 seconds left on the clock to set up the shot by Robinson.
Volnaya finished with 13 points as Virginia (17-5, 9-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) won its third straight game. Telisha Quarles scored 17 and Renee Robinson added 16. Schuye LaRue who was held scoreless from the field, grabbed 10 rebounds for Virginia.
Georgia Tech (11-9, 4-6) used a 7-0 run to take a 58-57 lead with 4:03 to play after being down six with 5:42 left.
Nina Barlin had 19 points for Georgia Tech, but she also had 11 turnovers. Danielle Donehew added 15 points and Kruppa finished with 14.
When the Going Gets Tough …
The Cavaliers are 7-1 in games that are decided by 10 points or less and are 4-1 in games decided by five points or less. The Cavaliers have also rallied back from half-time deficits to win two games (vs. Maryland and Clemson). Virginia has not lost a game when leading at half-time (14-0).
In the last two games, Virginia has held it opponents to 53.0 points per game while allowing them to shoot only 35.1 percent from the field.
Volnaya Leads ACC in Scoring in League Games
Svetlana Volnaya leads the conference in scoring with a 16.9 average in ACC games. She holds a slim lead over Marche Strickland of Maryland (16.4 ppg). The Minsk, Belarus native is one of three players tied for first in three-point field goal percentage (.500). She is tied with Strickland and Molly Beal of Florida State for the lead in three-point shooting.
Volnaya also ranks fifth in free throw shooting in conference games with 78.0%.
Robinson Enjoying A Great Year
With nine games remaining in the regular season, Renee Robinson already has 110 assists for the season, surpassing her total of 88 she had as a junior. Robinson worked hard over the summer to get ready for her senior season and the hard work has paid off. She currently leads the ACC in assists (5.0 apg) and has had six or more assists in nine games this year. She matched her career-high of nine assists in the N.C. State win (Jan. 17).
Robinson is also averaging 9.0 points per game this season which is 6.0 points over her career average coming into this season. She netted a career-high 24 points in the win over ninth-ranked North Carolina (Jan. 6) and produced 19 points in the win over sixth-ranked N.C. State. She also led the Cavaliers with 15 points in the upset over ninth-ranked Duke.
In her previous three seasons, she had only recorded double figures in scoring twice but this year alone has scored in double figures in eight games. She is averaging 13.0 ppg vs. ranked opponents this season.
Rising to the Occasion
Both Renee Robinson and Telisha Quarles have risen to the occasion when playing ranked opponents this year. Robinson is averaging 13.0 ppg vs. ranked opponents while Quarles is getting 15.2 ppg vs. ranked opponents. Below is a comparison of what they’ve done overall and against top teams:
season average vs. ranked opponents
Quarles 11.5 ppg 15.2 ppgRobinson 9.0 ppg 13.0 ppg
Ryan Coaching in 698th game
Today’s game marks Debbie Ryan’s 698th game as the head coach of the Virginia program. She holds a career record of 518-179 for a winning percentage of 74.3%. She will coach in her 700th game on Feb. 13 at home vs. Arkansas State (2:00 p.m.).
The Schuye’s the Limit
Schuye LaRue continues to lead the Cavaliers in scoring, rebounding and field goal percentage. If she ends her rookie campaign as the team leader in those three categories, she will match Cathy Grimes (1982) as the only other freshman in Virginia history to achieve the feat. Grimes and Dawn Staley (1989) were the only other freshmen to lead the team in scoring while Chrissy Reese (1980), Grimes and Heather Burge (l990) all were the top rebounders as rookies.
Currently, LaRue leads the league in field goal percentage and is the top scoring rookie in the ACC.
Robinson Moving On Up In Assists and Steals
Renee Robinson has 336 assists for her career which puts her in 8th place in Virginia history. She entered the season with 226 assists and with her 110 assists this season, she moved ahead of Melissa Mahony in eighth place. Below is ranking of Virginia’s Top 10 assist leaders:
1. Dawn Staley (1989-92) 729 2. Donna Holt (1985-88) 561 3. Dena Evans (1990-93) 528 4. Tora Suber (1994-97) 504 5. Nancy Mayer (l984-87) 420 6. Jenny Boucek (l993-96) 397 7. Tammi Reiss (1989-92) 380 8. Renee Robinson (1997-present) 336 9. Melissa Mahoney (l979-82) 31210. Kim Silloway (1983-86) 310
Robinson also broke into the Top 10 in steals, resting in ninth place with 191 career steals. She needs one more steal to move into a tie for eighth place with DeMya Walker. Below is the ranking of Virginia’s Top 10 steals leaders:
1. Donna Holt (1985-88) 529 2. Dawn Staley (1989-92) 454 3. Tonya Cardoza (1987-91) 375 4. Nancy Mayer (1984-87) 240 5. Daphne Hawkins (1985-88) 228 6. Tora Suber (1994-97) 223 7. Wendy Palmer (l993-96) 219 8. DeMya Walker (1996-99) 192 9. Renee Robinson (1997-present) 19110. Heather Burge (1990-93) 185
Working Together
A true sign that the team is one cohesive unit is when four individual players lead the ACC in four different stat categories. Virginia, historically known for its defense, has made a big splash on the offensive side of the ball this season.
Schuye LaRue leads the ACC in field goal percentage (.590), Svetlana Volnaya leads the conference in three-point field goal percentage (.462), Lisa Hosac leads the ACC in free throw percentage (.847) and Renee Robinson leads in assists (5.0 apg).
In scoring, LaRue ranks fifth (14.6 ppg) and Volnaya ranks sixth (14.3 ppg).
As a team, the Cavaliers lead the ACC in scoring (74.5 ppg), field goal percentage (.451) and rank second in free throw percentage (.766).
Ryan Holds Advantage vs. Current ACC Coaches
Debbie Ryan holds a 147-72 record against the current coaches in the ACC and holds a winning record versus every coach in the conference.
Ryan vs.
Jim Davis, Clemson 20-11 Gail Goestenkors, Duke 10-7 Sue Semrau, Florida St. 5-0 Agnus Berenato, Georgia Tech 25-3 Chris Weller, Maryland 32-20 Sylvia Hatchell, North Carolina 23-9 Kay Yow, N.C. State 2 6-22 Charlene Curtis, Wake Forest 6-0 147-72
Volnaya Wins Second ACC Honor in Three Weeks
Svetlana Volnaya was named the ACC Player of the Week (Jan. 31), the second honor in three weeks. She gained her second award for leading the Cavaliers to two wins over Wake Forest and Duke. For the week, she averaged 15.7 points and four rebounds per game. In the Wake Forest game, she scored 13 of her 20 points in the second half to lead the team with 20 points. Against Duke, she connected for nine points and grabbed five rebounds.
LaRue Named Rookie of the Week For Third Time
Schuye LaRue was given the nod as the ACC Rookie of the Week (Jan. 31), her third honor of the season. LaRue averaged 14.3 points and 9.0 rebounds per game in the Cavaliers three contests against Kent, Wake Forest and #9 Duke. The Washington D.C. native shot 58 percent (18 for 31) from the floor in the three games as well as 33 percent (2 for 6) from behind the arc and 100 percent (5 for 5) from the line. LaRue also had two double-doubles for the week against Wake Forest and Duke.
Volnaya Grabs First ACC Honor
Junior forward Svetlana Volnaya was named the ACC Player of the Week (Jan. 17) after scoring 28 points and shooting .648 percent (11 for 17) from the floor in the Cavaliers 76-68 win over Maryland. She scored 17 of her 28 points in the second half to help erase a four-point halftime deficit. She was 2-5 from three-point range and 4-4 from the free throw line. This was the first time Volnaya was named the Player of the Week.
TV is Kind to Cavaliers
Tonight’s game will be Virginia’s fourth game overall and third straight consecutive game on TV.