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Feb. 18, 2000
#7 N.C. State (20-5, 11-3)at#21/22 Virginia: (20-6, 11-2)
Feb. 20, 2000 – 2:00 p.m.
University Hall (8,457) – Charlottesville, Va.
Radio: WINA 1070 AM – TV: ESPN2
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia hosts seventh-ranked N.C. State Sunday in a showdown for the ACC regular season title and the top seed in the conference tournament. A win by the Cavaliers would put Virginia one and-a-half games ahead of the Wolfpack in the final week of the regular season. The Cavaliers still have to go on the road to Maryland on Thursday and then host Wake Forest in the season finale next Sunday. N.C. State hosts Georgia Tech at home on Thursday and is done until the ACC Tournament.
The Cavaliers have won 12 straight games at home and have not lost in University Hall since the season opener on Nov. 21 when it lost to St. Joseph’s 73-61.
Two of the league’s top rookies will battle it out for a win and possibly for ACC Rookie of the Year honors. Virginia’s Schuye LaRue is the league’s top scoring rookie (14.3 ppg) while State’s Kaayla Chones is the league’s top rebounding rookie (7.8 rpg). LaRue is right behind Chones in rebounding with 7.7 boards per game. Chones averages 11.5 ppg. Both players have been named the ACC Rookie of the Week three times this year.
After recording their worst start since the 1977-1978 season at 4-4, the Cavaliers have won 16 of its last 18 games, including the last three. They put together a 10-game winning streak beginning on Dec. 20 with a win over Virginia Tech and ending on Jan. 24 in a loss to Kent.
This game matches two of the ACC’s winningest coaches. N.C. State coach Kay Yow has 532 wins in 25 years at N.C. State and Debbie Ryan has 521 wins in 23 years at Virginia.
With the win at Clemson on Thursday, Virginia reached the 20-win plateau for the 16th time in the last 17 years. Head Coach Debbie Ryan has won 20 or more games 18 times in her 23-year career.
Earlier this season, Virginia defeated sixth-ranked N.C. State 80-73 on Jan. 17 in Raleigh.
The Series with N.C. State
N.C. State and Virginia have one of the most competitive rivalries in the ACC. Today’s game marks the 50th meeting between the two teams in a series that dates back to the 1974-75 season. Virginia holds a 26-23 lead in the series and has won 18 of the last 20 meetings, including the last three. Virginia is the only ACC team that leads in its series against N.C. State.
The Cavaliers are 12-11 vs. the Wolfpack in University Hall.
The Last Time vs. the Wolfpack
Renee Robinson scored 19 points, including four free throws down the stretch, and Svetlana Volnaya added 18 to help Virginia beat No. 6 North Carolina State 80-73 on Jan. 17 in Raleigh, N.C.
Telisha Quarles scored a career-high 21 points to lead Virginia, which extended its winning streak to nine.
Summer Erb scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Kaayla Chones added 18 for N.C State. The Wolfpack, losing by as much as 21 after halftime, went on a 9-2 run keyed by Tynesha Lewis’ first 3-pointer and five points by Terah James, trimming Virginia’s lead to 70-66 with 3:57 remaining.
The Cavaliers pushed the lead back to 77-68 with Volnaya’s 3-pointer and two free throws by Robinson with 1:29 left.Robinson made two more foul shots with 25.9 seconds left.
Lewis, N.C. State’s leading scorer with an average 13.5 points a game, missed all eight shots she tried from the floor and made only two points off free throws in the first half.
How the Teams Match Up
| Virginia | N.C. State | |
| Scoring | 73.3 | 72.8 |
| Points Allowed | 65.4 | 62.7 |
| Rebounds | 36.7 | 42.4 |
| Rebound Margin | -0.9 | +6.5 |
| FG % | .446 | .449 |
| FG% defense | .381 | .376 |
| 3-pt FG % | .320 | .317 |
| 3-pt FG/game | 5.1 | 4.4 |
| FT % | .705 | .638 |
| Assists | 15.3 | 14.2 |
| Turnovers | 17.7 | 18.6 |
| Blocks | 3.7 | 2.8 |
| Steals | 9.5 | 8.5 |
Virginia Ties School Record with 11 Threes
In Virginia’s win over Clemson on Feb. 17, the Cavaliers tied the school record for three-point field goals made in a game with 11. Svetlana Volnaya led the way for Virginia with 4-4 shooting from long range and while Lisa Hosac and Telisha Quarles each were 3-5 from the arc. Schuye LaRue added one as the Cavaliers shot a season best 68.8 percent (11-16).
The shooting performance ended a three-game slump from three-point range in which the Cavaliers shot a combined 26.0% (13-50).
Defense The Name of the Game
Not one opponent has shot over 50 percent from the field against the Cavaliers this season. In fact, only 12 opponents have shot over 40 percent and 14 have shot less than 40 percent from the field.
In the last three games, Virginia’s opponents have shot a combined .367 (65-177) from the field.
Virginia is 13-1 when holding the opponent to under 40 percent shooting from the field.
Virginia Welcomes Back N.C. State’s Jenny Kuziemski
N.C. State Assistant Coach Jenny Kuziemski is very familiar with the cozy confines of University Hall. Kuziemski, who played at N.C. State, was an assistant coach for Virginia from 1997-99 before returning to her alma mater last summer.
Kuziemski also competed against Virginia Assistant Coach Audra Smith in the infamous triple overtime game during the 1990-91 season when Smith made a shot from her knees to help the Cavaliers to a 123-120 win.
Best Start To ACC Season in Five Years
This is the best start to an ACC season for the Cavaliers since the 1994-95 season. That year, Virginia had a 14-0 conference record through the first 14 games and went on to an undefeated 16-0 conference record becoming the first team, either men’s or women’s, to post a 16-0 ACC record. Duke’s men’s team accomplished the feat several years later.
In the polls
Virginia moved up one spot in the AP poll to number 21 and dropped on place to 22 in the USA Today poll. Virginia has been ranked for four straight weeks. The Cavaliers entered the polls for the first time this season on Jan. 24 and were ranked 24th in the USA Today poll and 25 in the AP poll. Virginia is ranked 17th in the latest RPI ranking.
Four Cavaliers Lead ACC
A testament to how well Virginia is playing as a team can be found in the ACC stats. Four of Virginia’s five starters lead the ACC in a stat category: freshman Schuye LaRue leads in field goal percentage (.586), junior Svetlana Volnaya leads in three-point field goal percentage (.433), senior Lisa Hosac leads in free throw percentage (.833) and senior Renee Robinson leads in assists (5.0).
Three Cavaliers rank in the top 12 in scoring in the conference with LaRue in fifth (14.4 ppg), Volnaya sixth (13.9 ppg) and Telisha Quarles is 12th (11.8 ppg).
All five starters are ranked in some category in the ACC statistics. No other school has their five starters ranked. Virginia has the most players (7) ranked in the ACC stats.
Robinson Having A Great Year
With three games remaining in the regular season, Renee Robinson already has 129 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).
“I have never had a player improve from one year to the next as much as Renee,” said Head Coach Debbie Ryan. “She went from someone who was not a leader to become a leader of this team. She is making big plays at the end of games. She has done it in almost every game in one way or another.”
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 10 games. She is averaging 13.0 ppg vs. ranked opponents this season and 16.2 ppg vs. ranked ACC opponents.
LaRue Leads All ACC Rookies In Scoring
Schuye LaRue is the ACC’s top scoring rookie is a strong candidate for ACC Rookie of the Year. She is averaging 14.3 points per game and 7.7 rebounds which ranks her fifth in scoring and sixth in rebounding in the ACC. She is the league leader in field goal percentage (.586) and ranks second in blocks (1.3 bpg).
She currently leads the Cavaliers in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage and blocks.
The Schuye’s the Limit
If 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.
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 | 11.8 ppg | 15.2 ppg |
| Robinson | 9.0 ppg | 13.0 ppg |
Robinson Moving On Up In Assists and Steals
Renee Robinson has 355 assists for her career which puts her in 8th place in Virginia history. She entered the season with 226 assists and with her 125 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) | 355 |
| 9. | Melissa Mahoney (l979-82) | 312 |
| 10. | Kim Silloway (1983-86) | 310 |
Robinson also is in the Top 10 in steals, holding onto eighth place. 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. | Renee Robinson (1997-present) | 196 |
| 9. | DeMya Walker (1996-99) | 192 |
| 10. | Heather Burge (1990-93) | 185 |
Ryan Holds Advantage vs. Current ACC Coaches
Debbie Ryan holds a 149-73 record against the current coaches in the ACC and holds a winning record versus every coach in the conference.
Ryan vs.
| Jim Davis, Clemson | 21-11 |
| Gail Goestenkors, Duke | 10-7 |
| Sue Semrau, Florida St. | 6-0 |
| Agnus Berenato, Georgia Tech | 25-3 |
| Chris Weller, Maryland | 32-20 |
| Sylvia Hatchell, North Carolina | 23-10 |
| Kay Yow, N.C. State | 26-22 |
| Charlene Curtis, Wake Forest | 6-0 |
| 149-73 |
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.