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NCAA Tournament – 1st & 2nd Rounds Mideast Region
March 17 & 19, 2000
University Hall (8,457)
Charlottesville, Va.
Friday, March 17
#5 Boston College vs. #12 Nebraska – 6:00 p.m.
#4 Virginia vs. #13 Pepperdine – 30 minutes after conclusion of game 1
Sunday, March 19
Second Round game – 7:35 p.m
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Cavaliers were named a fourth seed during Sunday’s selection show and will host the NCAA First and Second Rounds for the first time since the 1997 season. The fourth seed gained this season is Virginia’s highest seed since the being named the fourth seed in the West Region in 1997. That season, Virginia defeated Troy State and Utah to advance to the West Regional semifinal in Missoula, Mont. where they lost to Stanford in the Sweet Sixteen.
The team that prevails this weekend in Charlottesville will travel to Memphis, Tenn. for the Mideast Regional to play the winner of the subregional at the University of Tennessee (Kent, Arizona, Furman) in the regional semifinal game on March 25.
This is the 13th time in the last 15 years the Cavaliers have opened NCAA Tournament play at home.
Virginia In The NCAA Tournament
Virginia makes its 17th straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Only Tennessee and Louisiana Tech have more consecutive appearances in the Big Dance – 19 straight years. The Cavaliers have competed in the NCAA Tournament every year since 1984. Two other teams, Georgia and Old Dominion, have been to the NCAA Tournament 17 times, but not in consecutive years.
This is the fourth time that Virginia has been placed in the Mideast Region. Virginia was the number six seed in 1985 and the third seed in 1987 and 1994. When playing in the Mideast Region, the Cavaliers are 3-3 and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen once (1994).
All-Time NCAA Record
Virginia is 27-16 in the NCAA Tournament (.628). Below is the breakdown of how the Cavaliers have fared round-by-round:
| first round: | 5-4 | |
| second round: | 11-1 | |
| regional semi’s | 7-4 | (Sweet Sixteen) |
| regional finals | 3-4 | (Elite Eight) |
| semifinal game | 1-2 | |
| championship game | 0-1 |
Probable Starters
| F | 15 | Svetlana Volnaya (Minsk, Belarus) | 6-1 | Jr. | 13.7 ppg, 4.1 rpg | 1st team All-ACC, second on team in scoring |
| F | 20 | Lisa Hosac (Littleton, Colo.) | 6-2 | Sr. | 8.5 ppg, 5.8 rpg | Good defensive player, can hit the three |
| F | 45 | Schuye LaRue (Washington, D.C.) | 6-3 | Fr. | 14.6 ppg, 7.9 rpg | ACC Rookie of the Year, led team in scoring, reb. |
| G | 10 | Telisha Quarles (Louisa, Va.) | 5-8 | So. | 12.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg | Top long range shooter |
| G | 5 | Renee Robinson (E. Palo Alto, Calif.) | 5-6 | Sr. | 9.4 ppg, 4.9 apg | 2nd team All-ACC, ACC |
Key Reserves
| G | 12 | Katie Tracy (Richmond, Va.) | 5-5 | Jr. | 1.4 ppg, 0.9 rpg | Plays behind Robinson at point, good FT shooter |
| F | 00 | Dean’na Mitchelson (Bakersfield,Cal.) | 6-2 | Jr. | 3.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg | Strong player at |
Pepperdine Waves (21-9)
Coach: Mark Trakh (119-82, seventh season)
Conference: West Coast Conference
Location: Malibu, Calif.
Enrollment: 2,900
This is also Pepperdine’s first ever NCAA Tournament appearance. They received an at-large bid and play in the West Conference.
This will be the first ever meeting between Pepperdine and Virginia.
Boston College Eagles (25-8)
Coach: Cathy Inglese ( 111-89, seventh season)
Conference: Big East
Location: Boston, Mass.
Enrollment: 14,600
This is the Eagles third NCAA Tournament appearance and they received an at-large bid. Last year, they lost to Tennessee in the second round.
Virginia and Boston College have met one time before with the Cavaliers coming out on top in a game played in Boston. (the media guide incorrectly lists it as a home game).
Virginia vs. Boston College (1-0)
1983-84: 58-46 W A
Home 0-0
Away 1-0
Neu. 0-0
Nebraska (18-12)
Coach: Paul Sanderford ( 62-34, third season)
Conference: Big 12
Location: Lincoln, Neb.
Enrollment: 25,000
Virginia and Nebraska have never met. This is the Cornhuskers sixth NCAA Tournament appearance. Last season, Nebraska lost to Kentucky in the first round.
Virginia vs. Tournament Field
This season, Virginia faced eight teams that made it to the NCAA Tournament. Against those eight teams, the Cavaliers were 6-7. Four of those opponents were ACC Teams and Virginia posted a combined record of 6-3 against North Carolina State, Duke, Clemson and North Carolina.
Virginia was 0-4 vs. non-conference opponents that made it in the 64 NCAA field (St. Joseph’s, Texas, Old Dominion and Kent.).
Hosac Shines in the Big Dance
Senior Lisa Hosac has had some of her best performances in NCAA Tournament games. She averages 13.5 points and 4.2 rebounds per game in the NCAA Tournament.
As a freshman, Hosac scored career-highs in the first and second games of the NCAA Tournament. She scored a then career-high 13 points vs. Troy State in the 1997 NCAA first round game and matched that two nights later in the win over Utah in the second round. In those two games, she did not miss a field goal and was a combined 9-9 from the field and 3-3 from three-point range in those two games.
As a sophomore, Hosac scored a career-high 29 points in a second round loss to Arizona and then last year, she led the team with 18 points in the first round loss to Penn State in only 20 minutes of action.
Seniors Are Last Class to Open NCAA Play at Home
The three seniors on the UVa team are the last players to have played an NCAA Tournament game at home. Lisa Hosac, Renee Robinson and Lauren Swierczek were all freshmen in 1997 when Virginia hosted Troy State, Utah and Iowa State in the first and second rounds of the West sub-regional in 1997.
The Cavaliers opened the NCAA Tournament at home 12 straight years from 1986 to 1997. During that span, the Cavaliers were 26-12 in tournament action. Virginia has made it to the Sweet Sixteen 11 out of 12 years when they opened postseason play at home.
Cavaliers Hope To Extend Home Court Win Streak
The Cavaliers hope to extend its home court winning streak tonight against Pepperdine. Virginia has won 14 straight at home since losing its season opener on Nov. 21 to St. Joseph’s.
This streak is the longest home court winning streak for the Cavaliers since the 61 home-court winning streak that spanned five seasons, 1992-1996.
The 14-game win streak includes wins over three Top 10 teams, ninth-ranked North Carolina on Jan. 6, ninth-ranked Duke on Jan. 30 and seventh-ranked N.C. State on Feb. 20.
The Cavaliers were undefeated at home vs. ACC opponents.
Virginia Wins ACC Regular Season Title
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 in the regular season after experiencing 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 highest ranking of number 16 in both of the polls on Feb. 28. 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 11 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.
LaRue Named ACC’s Top Rookie
Forward Schuye LaRue was named the ACC Rookie of the Year by the Atlantic Coast Sportswriters Association. She is the first Virginia player since Tora Suber (1994) to earn the league’s top honor for freshmen. LaRue also earned All-ACC second team honors and was named to the ACC All-Tournament second team.
LaRue led the ACC in field goal percentage (58.1) and was co-leader in blocked shots (1.4 bpg). She was the top scoring rookie (14.6 ppg, sixth overall) and tied N.C. State’s Kaayla Chones as the top rebounding rookie (7.9 rpg, fourth overall). The 6-3 freshman earned a total of five ACC Rookie of the Week honors and led the ACC with eight double-doubles.
Three Cavaliers Honored By Conference
Svetlana Volnaya, Renee Robinson and Schuye LaRue were all-named to the ACC All-Conference team. Volnaya, who led the ACC in three-point shooting percentage and scoring in ACC games, was named to the first team and extended Virginia’s streak of having at least one first team selection every year since the award began in 1984. Robinson and LaRue were named to the second team.
Robinson was also named to the ACC’s first ever All-Defensive Team as voted on by the coaches and LaRue was the leading vote getter for the ACC All-Freshman team.
In the polls
Virginia remained at number 19 in both the AP and USA Today polls this week. Virginia has been ranked for seven 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.
Cavalier History in the Polls
The Cavaliers had previously been ranked a total of 281 consecutive weeks in at least one or both of the polls before falling out of the Top 25 at the beginning of the 2000 season.
Virginia holds the longest active streak of any ACC team in the AP poll – 182 weeks.
The Cavaliers are only one of two ACC teams to to achieve the number one ranking during the season. The Cavaliers were ranked number one in the AP poll for a total of 24 weeks in 1991 and 1992. Maryland, the other ACC top ranked team, held on to the top sport for four weeks in 1992. North Carolina also achieved the number one ranking but was achieved after after winning the National Championship in 1994. They did not get top billing during the regular season.
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 15 opponents have shot over 40 percent and 16 have shot less than 40 percent from the field.
Virginia is 15-1 when holding the opponent to under 40 percent shooting from the field.
The Cavaliers are ranked second in the ACC in field goal percentage defense, allowing teams only 38.1 % from the field.
Every Class A Winner
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.
Ryan Holds Advantage vs. Current ACC Coaches
Debbie Ryan holds a 153-73 (.677) 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 251-105 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 | 23-12 |
| Kay Yow, N.C. State | 27-20 |
| Charlene Curtis, Wake Forest | 9-0 |
| 153-73 (.677) |
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 | 26-27 |
| N.C. State | 27-20 |
| Wake Forest | 46-1 |
| 251-105 (.705) |
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).
Keeping It Close
The Cavaliers are 11-3 in games which are decided by 10 points or less and 5-4 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 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 led the ACC for most of the season in assists and currently ranks third in the league with a 4.9 average. Robinson 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 9.4 points per game this season which is 6.4 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 13 games.
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. ranked | vs. ranked | |
| average | opponents | 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 11th in the league in scoring (12.0 ppg), fourth in three-point field goal percentage (.358) and fifth in three-point field goals made (1.7).
Robinson Moving On Up In Assists and Steals
Renee Robinson has 377 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) | 377 |
| 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) | 206 |
| 9. | DeMya Walker (1996-99) | 192 |
| 10. | Heather Burge (1990-93) | 185 |
Robinson Is Cavs’ Clutch Player
Renee Robinson has been Virginia’s most consistent player and has provided true leadership on floor this season. She has been Virginia’s go-to player as evidenced by her play in the following games:
- hit four crucial free throws down the stretch in upset of N.C. State, was named the HTS Player of the Game
- hit the winning shot with 57 seconds left in double-overtime win vs. Clemson, played 48 minutes in that game
- her only block of the season came on desperation three-pointer in win at Florida State
- hit winning free throws with .4 seconds remaining in Arkansas State game, scored Virginia’s last six points in that game
- had career night in upset win of ninth-ranked North Carolina
- led team with 15 points in upset of ninth-ranked Duke
- hit five points within a span of 20 second span in the final 1:30 of the game to tie game with North Carolina 63-63 in ACC semifinal