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Feb. 26, 2000
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – – Virginia’s four-game winning streak came to a halt last Thursday at College Park, Md. when the Terrapins defeated the Cavaliers 76-71. The loss put the Cavaliers’ title hopes on hold and they must win today to earn the top seed in next week’s ACC Tournament. If Virginia wins today, it will face this same Demon Deacon team on Friday, March 3 in the #1 vs. #9 game in the ACC Tournament (8:00 p.m.).
Wake Forest has won one of its last 10 games. On Thursday, they lost a close contest to Clemson, 63-59. The Demon Deacons are 1-5 vs. teams in the Top 25.
The Cavaliers look to regain their shooting touch. In the last two games, Virginia is shooting a combined 35.9 percent from the field (42-117). Despite upsetting seventh-ranked N.C. State last Sunday, Virginia posted its worst shooting performance of the season, shooting only 32.7 percent (18-55). On Thursday, the Cavaliers shot 38.7 percent (24-62) in the loss at Maryland.
If the Cavaliers win today, they will earn the number one seed in the ACC Tournament for the seventh time in the last 10 years. The last time Virginia was the number one seed was in 1996 when it finished with a 13-3 ACC record. UVa has been the number one seed in the ACC Tournament a total of 10 times in the 22-year history of the tournament.
Virginia has won 20 or more games 16 times in the last 17 years. Head Coach Debbie Ryan has won 20 or more games 18 times in her 23-year career.
Today’s game marks the final regular season home appearance for three Virginia seniors: Lisa Hosac, Renee Robinson and Lauren Swierczek.
The Series with Wake Forest
Tonight’s game marks the 47th meeting between the two teams. Virginia holds a 45-1 record in the series and has won 43 straight against the Demon Deacons. The only loss in the series happened on Jan. 13, 1978 when Wake Forest posted a 60-59 win over the Cavaliers in University Hall.The 43-game win streak is the longest streak of one ACC team over another in the history of the conference. UVa is 19-1 vs. Wake in University Hall.
How the Teams Match Up
| Virginia | Wake Forest | |
| Scoring | 72.8 | 57.2 |
| Points Allowed | 65.3 | 65.6 |
| Rebounds | 36.8 | 36.9 |
| Rebound Margin | -2.0 | -3.7 |
| FG % | .440 | .383 |
| FG% defense | .377 | .386 |
| 3-pt FG % | .319 | .247 |
| 3-pt FG/game | 5.1 | 3.5 |
| FT % | .704 | .684 |
| Assists | 15.1 | 12.8 |
| Turnovers | 17.5 | 19.7 |
| Blocks | 3.9 | 2.8 |
| Steals | 9.2 | 6.7 |
The Last Time vs. the Demon Deacons
Svetlana Volnaya scored 20 points as No. 25 Virginia remained in first place in the Atlantic Coast Conference with a 58-47 victory over Wake Forest on Jan. 27. Virginia (15-5, 7-1 ACC) dominated Wake Forest (6-13, 2-6) on the boards, outrebounding the Demon Deacons 47-30. Neither team shot well, with Virginia shooting 34 percent from the floor and Wake Forest 32. The Cavaliers were 15-of-22 from the free throw line, doubling the scoring from Wake’s 7-for-8 performance.Schuye LaRue had 12 points and 13 rebounds for Virginia, and Telisha Quarles scored 13 points.Alisha Mosley led Wake Forest with 21 points, but had only four in the second half.Virginia led 31-26 at halftime and increased the margin to 12 points early in the second half. Wake Forest used a 7-0 run to close to 44-41 with 10:23 to play, but got no closer.
Farewell to the Seniors
Today’s game marks the final regular season home game for Virginia’s three seniors: Renee Robinson, Lisa Hosac and Lauren Swierczek.The contribution of these three players has been invaluable to the Cavaliers this season. Robinson currently leads the ACC in assists and has improved her scoring output to nearly nine points per game and ranks fourth on the team in scoring. She has been the catalyst of Virginia’s surprising rise to the top of the ACC because of her floor leadership and playmaking abilities.Hosac ranks second on the team in rebounding and fifth in scoring and has been the top free throw shooter on the team. Her defense in the post has helped Virginia regain its reputation as one of the ACC’s top defensive teams. As team captain, she has kept the team in check on and off the floor.Swierczek has seen action in 10 games this season, but her value to this team is mostly behind the scenes. She assists the coaches in game preparation, studying the offense and defenses of the opponent, and she keeps the team loose and upbeat.All three players have made an impact on the Virginia program by making their teammates better and providing fans with great memories over the last four years.
Cavaliers Sweep Weekly Honors
Virginia’s Telisha Quarles and Schuye LaRue claim this week’s ACC Women’s Basketball Player of the Week and Rookie of the Week honors respectively. The pair helped Virginia to capture two critical wins which gave them the lead in the conference standings.Quarles, a sophomore guard, earns ACC Player of the Week for the first time in her career for leading the Cavaliers to wins over Clemson and seventh-ranked N.C. State. For the week, Quarles led Virginia with 14.0 points per game, 3.0 assists per game and 2.5 steals per game. She shot 64 percent from three-point range (7-11) along with a 75 percent (3-4) mark from the charity stripe. In the Cavaliers’ 60-51 win over N.C. State, Quarles recorded a team-high 17 points and was 4-6 from three-point range. Fourteen of her 17 points came in the first half when the rest of the team was just 6-21 from the field.Rookie of the Week honors are claimed for the fourth time by forward Schuye LaRue who had a double-double in both games last week. Against Clemson, she scored 13 points and led the team with 13 rebounds and then scored 10 points and had 11 rebounds against N.C. State. In the game against the Wolfpack, LaRue also recorded a career-high six blocks, the most by any league player this season. For the week, LaRue averaged 11.5 points and 12 rebounds per game while shooting 54 percent from the floor.
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) from long range.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 13 opponents have shot over 40 percent and 15 have shot less than 40 percent from the field.Virginia is 14-1 when holding the opponent to under 40 percent shooting from the field.
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 15-0 conference record through the first 15 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 jumped five spots in the AP poll to number 16 and and six spots to number 16 in the USA Today poll. Virginia has been ranked for five 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 15th in the latest RPI ranking.
Robinson Having A Great Year
With two games remaining in the regular season, Renee Robinson already has 133 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 10 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 8.9 points per game this season which is 5.9 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 11 games. She is averaging 12.5 ppg vs. ranked opponents this season and 15.0 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 14.1 points per game and 7.9 rebounds which ranks her sixth in scoring and tied for fifth in rebounding in the ACC. She is the league leader in field goal percentage (.581) and ranks second in blocks (1.5 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, she will 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 12.5 ppg vs. ranked opponents while Quarles is getting 15.5 ppg vs. ranked opponents. Below is a comparison of what they’ve done overall and against top teams:
season vs. vs. ranked ACC average ranked opponents opponentsQuarles 11.9 ppg 15.5 ppg 14.8 ppgRobinson 8.9 ppg 12.5 ppg 15.0 ppg
Robinson Moving On Up In Assists and Steals
Renee Robinson has 367 assists for her career which puts her in 8th place in Virginia history. She entered the season with 226 assists and with her 141 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) 367 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) | 198 |
| 9. | DeMya Walker (1996-99) | 192 |
| 10. | Heather Burge (1990-93) | 185 |
Ryan Holds Advantage vs. Current ACC Coaches
Debbie Ryan holds a 150-71 (.679) record against the current coaches in the ACC and holds a winning record versus every coach in the conference.
Ryan vs. current ACC coaches
Jim Davis, Clemson 21-11Gail Goestenkors, Duke 10-7Sue Semrau, Florida St. 6-0Agnus Berenato, Georgia Tech 25-3Chris Weller, Maryland 32-20Sylvia Hatchell, North Carolina 23-10Kay Yow, N.C. State 27-20Charlene Curtis, Wake Forest 6-0 150-71 (.679)
Ryan all-time vs. ACC teams
Clemson 28-21Duke 32-12Florida State 18-0Georgia Tech 42-4Maryland 32-20North Carolina 26-25N.C. State 27-20Wake Forest 43-1 248-103 (.706)
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.