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Feb. 29, 2000
March 3-6
Greensboro Coliseum (23,000)
Greensboro, N.C.
Fantastic Finish: – Virginia closed out the regular season by winning five of its last six games and captured the top seed in the ACC Tournament for the seventh time in the last 10 years. The Cavaliers won 18 of the last 21 games after its worst start in 23 years.
In early December, Virginia had a 4-4 record and learned they would be without its top returning scorer Erin Stovall who left the team for personal reasons. The Cavaliers put their troubles behind them and won 85 percent of its remaining games which included a 10-game winning streak and four wins over Top 10 teams. Virginia climbed back into respectability when it appeared in the polls for the first time on Jan. 24 and steadily moved to its current ranking of number 16 in both of the polls. The Cavaliers ended the regular season with a 14-game winning streak at home.
Virginia earned the top seed in the tournament on the last day of the regular season when they beat Wake Forest 77-71. UVa has been the number one seed in the ACC Tournament a total of 10 times in the 22-year history of the tournament.
The Cavaliers also notched a 20-win season 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.
In the ACC Tournament
- Virginia is 25-19 in the ACC Tournament (.568). The Cavaliers are 16-6 in the quarterfinals, 6-10 in the semifinals and 3-3 in the finals.
- Virginia has been either the number one or two seed in nine of the last 10 years. This year’s number one seed is the first time since 1996 that the Cavaliers have been the top seed. They were the top seed six straight years (1991-1996), played in three straight championship games (1992-94) and won back-to-back titles (1992-93).
- The last time Virginia played in the championship game was in 1994 and lost to North Carolina 77-60. Virginia has made it to the championship game five times as the number one seed and have won two titles when playing as the top seed.
| March 3 | #7 Maryland vs. #8 Florida State | 6:00 p.m. |
| #1 Virginia vs. #9 Wake Forest | 8:00 p.m. | |
| ? | ||
| March 4 | #4 Clemson vs. #5 North Carolina (RSN) | 1:00 p.m. |
| #2 Duke vs. winner of MD/ FSU | 3:30 p.m. | |
| #3 N.C. State vs. #6 Ga. Tech | 6:00 p.m. | |
| ? | ||
| March 5 | Semifinals | |
| winner Clem/UNC vs. Virginia/Wake (RSN) | 1:00 p.m. | |
| winner NCST/Ga. Tech vs. Duke/Md./FSU (RSN) | 3:30 p.m. | |
| ? | ||
| March 6 | Championship (Fox Sports Net) | 7:30 p.m. |
Probable Starters
| F | 15 | Svetlana Volnaya (Minsk, Belarus) | 6-1 | Jr. | 13.8 ppg, 4.0 rpg |
| F | 20 | Lisa Hosac (Littleton, Colo.) | 6-2 | Sr. | 8.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg |
F 45 Schuye LaRue (Washington, D.C.) 6-3 Fr. 14.6 ppg, 8.0 rpgG 10 Telisha Quarles (Louisa, Va.) 5-8 So. 12.1 ppg, 2.8 rpgG 5 Renee Robinson (E. Palo Alto, Calif.) 5-6 Sr. 9.0 ppg, 5.0 apg
Key Reserves
| G | 12 | Katie Tracy (Richmond, Va.) | 5-5 | Jr. | 1.4 ppg, 0.8 rpg |
| F | 00 | Dean’na Mitchelson (Bakersfield,Calif.) | 6-2 | Jr. | 3.4ppg, 3.5 rpg |
| F | 33 | Chalois Lias (Newport News, Va.) | 6-1 | Jr. | 2.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg |
Virginia’s ACC Tournament History
Virginia is 25-19 in the ACC Tournament. The last time Virginia played in the championship game was in 1994 and lost to North Carolina 77-60.
| Year | Record | Seed | Opponent | W/L | Score |
| 1978 6 | 1-6 | 6th | Clemson | L | 59-73 |
| 1979 l | 2-4 | 5th | North Carolina | L | 51-86 |
| 1980 s | 3-5 | 5th | Clemson | L | 76-78 |
| 1981 t | 5-3 | 2nd | Georgia Tech | W | 61-49 |
| Maryland | L | 47-50 | |||
| 1982 l | 3-7 | 5th | Maryland | L | 63-72 |
| 1983 n | 4-9 | 6th | Maryland | L | 63-70 |
| 1984 n | 11-3 | 1st | Georgia Tech | W | 75-58 |
| North Carolina | L | 68-96 | |||
| 1985 n | 9-5 | 3rd | Maryland | W | 64-53 |
| North Carolina | L | 55-76 | |||
| 1986 n | 13-1 | 1st | Georgia Tech | W | 90-64 |
| Maryland | L | 68-92 | |||
| 1987 n | 12-2 | 1st | Wake Forest | W | 70-56 |
| Maryland | W | 76-59 | |||
| N.C. State | L | 56-57 | |||
| 1988 n | 12-2 | 1st | N.C. State | W | 82-64 |
| Clemson | W | 66-57 | |||
| Maryland | L | 70-76 | |||
| 1989 n | 8-6 | 4th | Wake Forest (ot) | W | 68-67 |
| Maryland | L | 66-89 | |||
| 1990 n | 11-3 | 2nd | Georgia Tech | W | 73-65 |
| Clemson | W | 84-66 | |||
| N.C. State (ot) | W | 67-64 | |||
| 1991 n | 14-0 | 1st | North Carolina | W | 90-69 |
| Clemson | L | 62-65 | |||
| 1992 v | 15-1 | 1st | Duke | W | 81-55 |
| North Carolina | W | 74-55 | |||
| Georgia Tech | W | 70-69 | |||
| 1993 v | 13-3 | 1st | Wake Forest | W | 74-46 |
| Clemson | W | 79-71 | |||
| Maryland (3ot) | W | 106-103 | |||
| 1994 v | 15-1 | 1st | Wake Forest | W | 73-54 |
| Maryland | W | 63-45 | |||
| North Carolina | L | 60-77 | |||
| 1995 v | 16-0 | 1st | Maryland | W | 68-46 |
| Duke (ot) | L | 82-83 | |||
| 1996 v | 13-3 | 1st | Florida St. | W | 83-50 |
| Clemson | L | 67-75 | |||
| 1997u | 12-4 | 2nd | Georgia Tech | W | 77-63 |
| Clemson (ot) | L | 75-77 | |||
| 1998u | 9-7 | 5th | North Carolina | L | 56-76 |
| 1999u | 12-4 | 2nd | Wake Forest | W | 71-67 |
| North Carolina | L | 70-83 |
Site of Tournament:
6 – Charlottesville, Va.
l – Raleigh, N.C.
s – College Park, Md.
t – Clemson, S.C.
n – Fayetteville, N.C.
v – Rock Hill, S.C.
u – Charlotte, N.C.
Virginia vs. the Rest of the ACC
Virginia holds a winning record against every team in the ACC and is the only school to hold a winning edge over its conference opponents in the all-time series.
| Team | Overall Series | In ACC Tourney | Outcome this season | |
| Clemson | Virginia leads 28-21 | Clemson leads 5-3 | Virginia won both | |
| Duke | Virginia leads 32-12 | Series tied 1-1 | Teams split home | |
| Florida State | Virginia leads 20-0 | Virginia leads 1-0 | Virginia won both | |
| Georgia Tech | Virginia leads 42-4 | Virginia leads 6-0 | Virginia won both | |
| Maryland | Virginia leads 32-21 | Maryland leads 6-5 | Teams split | |
| North Carolina | Virginia leads 28-27 | UNC leads 6-2 | Teams split | |
| N.C. State | Virginia leads 27-23 | Virginia leads 2-1 | Virginia won both | |
| Wake Forest | Virginia leads 45-1 | Virginia leads 5-0 | Virginia won both |
Deja Vu: Virginia Faces Wake Forest For the Second Time This WeekFor the second time in less than a week, Virginia will play Wake Forest. The Cavaliers gained the top seed in the tournament by defeating the Demon Deacons 77-71 on Feb. 27 which also dropped Wake Forest to the ninth seed. This is only the second time in the history of Virginia’s program that the Cavaliers have faced the same opponent in the last regular season game and the first round of the tournament. The last time this happened was in 1995 when the Cavaliers finished the regular season with Maryland and then faced the same Terps in the first round of the conference tournament. Virginia won both of those games against Maryland that year.
Many Similarities To 1993 Championship
The last time Virginia won the ACC Championship was in 1993. There are several similarities of this season to the 1993 season which may be good signs for the Cavaliers.
In 1993, the Cavaliers entered the tournament as the top seed with a 13-3 conference record. At the time of the tournament, the 1993 team had a record of 21-5. This year, the Cavaliers entered the tournament as the top seed with a record of 22-7 and a conference record of 13-3.
The Cavaliers’ first round opponent in the ACC Tournament in 1993 was Wake Forest who is this year’s first round opponent. The second round opponent in 1993 was Clemson which potentially could be the second round opponent. The Cavaliers defeated Maryland in triple overtime to win the championship that year.
The city of Richmond, Va. hosted the East Regional in 1993 as they do this season. The Cavaliers played in the East Regional and defeated Georgetown and lost to Ohio State.
Virginia also did not lose a conference game at home in 1993 and 2000.
Ryan Holds Advantage vs. Current ACC Coaches
Debbie Ryan holds a 151-71 (.680) record against the current coaches in the ACC and holds a winning record versus every coach in the conference. In her 23-year career, she holds a record of 249-103 vs. ACC opponents.
Ryan vs. current ACC coaches
| 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 | 27-20 | ||
| Charlene Curtis, Wake Forest | 7-0 | ||
| 151-71 (.680) |
Ryan all-time vs. ACC teams
| Clemson | 28-21 | ||
| Duke | 32-12 | ||
| Florida State | 18-0 | ||
| Georgia Tech | 42-4 | ||
| Maryland | 32-20 | ||
| North Carolina | 26-25 | ||
| N.C. State | 27-20 | ||
| Wake Forest | 44-1 | ||
| 249-103 (.707) |
In the polls
Virginia remained at number 16 in the AP poll and dropped to number 17 in the USA Today poll this week. Virginia has been ranked for six 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.
LaRue Gets Fifth Rookie Honor
Schuye LaRue claimed this week’s Atlantic Coast Conference Women’s Rookie of the Week honors for the fifth time this season.
LaRue had a double-double for the week averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds in last week’s play. Against Maryland, LaRue scored 22 points and nine rebounds and then scored 18 points and had 11 rebounds against Wake Forest to help Virginia clinch the regular season title. On the week, LaRue shot 77 percent (13 of 17) from the floor and 78 percent (14 of 18) from the foul line.
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 14 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.
Robinson Having A Great Year
Renee Robinson worked hard over the summer to get ready for her senior season and the hard work has paid off. She currently is the co-leader in the ACC in assists (5.0 apg) and has had six or more assists in 11 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 12 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 and Rebounding
Schuye LaRue is the ACC’s top scoring and rebounding rookie and, with her five ACC Rookie of the Week awards, is a strong candidate for ACC Rookie of the Year. She is averaging 14.6 points per game and 8.0 rebounds which ranks her fifth in scoring and tied for fifth in rebounding in the ACC. She is the league leader in field goal percentage (.592) and is tied for the lead 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 average |
vs. ranked opponents |
vs. ranked ACC opponents |
|
| Quarles | 11.9 ppg | 15.5 ppg | 14.8 ppg |
| Robinson | 8.9 ppg | 12.5 ppg | 15.0 ppg |
No Argument Here – Quarles One of ACC’s Top Sophomores
Telisha Quarles is the lone sophomore on the Virginia roster and she is proving that she is one of the top second-year players in the league. She currently ranks 10th in the league in scoring (12.1 ppg), fifth in three-point field goal percentage (.355) and fifth in three-point field goals made (1.7).
Marche Strickland of Maryland is the top scoring sophomore (14.0 ppg) followed by April Traylor of Florida State (12.7 ppg) and Quarles in third.
Keeping It Close
The Cavaliers are 11-3 in games which are decided by 10 points or less and 5-3 in games decided by five points or less.
The closest game this season was on Feb. 3 when Virginia defeated Georgia Tech by one point when Svetlana Volnaya sank two free throws with three seconds remaining in the game to lift Virginia to the win.
Robinson Moving On Up In Assists and Steals
Renee Robinson has 371 assists for her career which puts her in 8th place in Virginia history. 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) | 371 | |
| 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) | 199 | |
| 9. | DeMya Walker (1996-99) | 192 | |
| 10. | Heather Burge (1990-93) | 185 |
The Cavalier’s record when they:
| led at half-time | 17-1 |
| trailed at half-time | 3-4 |
| were tied at half-time | 2-2 |
| went into overtime | 1-1 |
| shot 60% or better | 0-0 |
| shot 50% or better | 7-0 |
| shot less than 50% | 15-7 |
| shot less than 40% | 5-4 |
| opponent shot 50% or better | 0-0 |
| opponent shot less than 50% | 22-7 |
| opponent shot less than 40% | 14-1 |
| had higher FG% than opponent | 19-4 |
| had lower FG% than opponent | 3-4 |
| out-rebounded opponent | 9-2 |
| were out-rebounded by opponent | 12-5 |
| had same rebounds as opponent | 1-0 |
| had more offensive rebounds | 9-3 |
| had fewer offensive rebounds | 11-3 |
| had same offensive rebounds | 2-1 |
| had fewer turnovers than opponent | 14-1 |
| had more turnovers than opponent | 6-4 |
| had same amount of turnovers | 2-2 |
| shot more FTs than opponent | 15-0 |
| shot fewer FTs than opponent | 6-7 |
| shot same number of FTs as opponent | 1-0 |
| had game decided by 10 points or less | 11-3 |
| had game decided by 5 points or less | 5-3 |
| scored 100+ points | 1-0 |
| scored 90-99 points | 0-0 |
| scored 80-89 points | 6-0 |
| scored 70-79 points | 9-3 |
| scored 60-69 points | 4-4 |
| scored 59 or less points | 2-0 |
| leading scorer is Hosac | 3-0 |
| leading scorer is LaRue | 5-4 |
| leading scorer is Quarles | 3-3 |
| leading scorer is Stovall | 2-0 |
| leading scorer is Volnaya | 6-0 |
| leading scorer is Robinson | 2-0 |
| leading scorer is Mitchelson | 1-0 |
Virginia’s record on:
| Sunday | 6-2 |
| Monday | 4-2 |
| Tuesday | 1-0 |
| Wednesday | 1-0 |
| Thursday | 8-1 |
| Friday | 1-1 |
| Saturday | 1-1 |
Did You Know?
Since the 1990 season, every class that has come through the Virginia program has won either an ACC regular season title or a tournament title. This year was the final chance for seniors Renee Robinson, Lisa Hosac and Lauren Swierczek to win any type of ACC title and get the year 2000 sewn on the ACC banner which hangs in University Hall. The seamstress had been idle for three years.
In the Polls
Week of AP USA Today
| Preseason | 25th | |
| Jan. 24 | 25th | 24th |
| Jan. 31 | 24th | 23rd |
| Feb. 7 | 22nd | 21st |
| Feb. 14 | 21st | 22nd |
| Feb. 21 | 16th | 16th |
| Feb. 28 |
1999-2000 Individual Honors
Schuye LaRueRainbow Wahine Classic All-Tournament TeamNationwide Cavalier Classic Most Valuable PlayerACC Rookie of the Week (Nov. 30)ACC Rookie of the Week (Jan. 3)ACC Rookie of the Week (Jan. 31)ACC Rookie of the Week (Feb. 21)ACC Rookie of the Week (Feb. 28)HTS Player of the Game (Jan. 30)ESPN2 Player of the Game (Feb. 20)
Svetlana VolnayaNationwide Cavalier Classic All-Tournament TeamACC Player of the Week (Jan. 17)ACC Player of the Week (Jan. 31)
Telisha QuarlesACC Player of the Week (Feb. 21)
Renee RobinsonHTS Player of the Game (Jan. 17)
Starting Line-upsHosac, Mitchlsn,Stovall,Robinson,Quarles 0-1Hosac, LaRue, Stovall, Robinson, Quarles 1-0Hosac, Lias, LaRue, Stovall, Robinson 1-1Hosac, Volnaya, LaRue, Stovall, Robinson 1-2Hosac, Volnaya, Kravch., Stovall, Robinson 1-0Hosac, Volnaya, LaRue, Quarles, Robinson. 16-3Hosac, Volnaya, Mitchlson, Quarles, Robinson 1-0Hosac, Volnaya, LaRue, Swierczek, Robinson 1-0
By The Numbers
1
Virginia’s seed in the ACC Tournament
2
Number of times this season that Virginia swept the ACC Player and Rookie of the Week Awards
4
The number of wins Virginia hasover Top 10 teams. The Cavaliersare 4-0 vs. Top 10 opponents
5
The number of times Schuye LaRue has been named the ACC Rookie of the Week
7
The number of different players who led Virginia in scoring this season
8
The number of different startingline-ups used by Virginia
8
The number of double-doubles bySchuye LaRue to lead the ACC
11
The school record for three-point fieldgoals made which the Cavaliers tied in the Clemson game
14
The number of consecutive homewins by the Cavaliers this season
29
The most points scored by aVirginia player this season?Schuye LaRue vs. Butler andSvetlana Volnaya vs. Georgia Tech