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Sept. 30, 2004
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – For the second consecutive weekend the University of Virginia volleyball team heads to North Carolina for a pair of Atlantic Coast Conference matches. UVa squares off against North Carolina on Friday (October 1) at 7:00 p.m., and then plays at N.C. State on Saturday (October 2) at 7:00 p.m. The Cavaliers stand at 11-3 overall and 1-1 in the ACC.
In the opening weekend of ACC play, Virginia split a pair of matches, defeating Wake Forest 3-0 and dropping a 3-1 decision at Duke.
The Cavaliers trail North Carolina 29-10 in the all-time series, but took two of three matches last season, including a 3-2 decision in the quarterfinals of the ACC Championship. UVa’s 3-2 win over North Carolina on November 8 snapped an 11-match losing streak to the Tar Heels. North Carolina stands at 7-7 overall this season and is 2-1 in the conference.
Virginia leads the all-time series against N.C. State 23-19. The Cavaliers have won 17 consecutive meetings in the series and swept the 2003 season series with 3-1 and 3-0 victories. This season, the Wolfpack is 10-5 and 0-2 in the ACC.
First-years Sarah Kirkwood (Tampa, Fla./Plant) and Melissa Caldwell (Houston, Texas/Elkins) rank among the NCAA leaders in kills and digs, respectively. Kirkwood, an outside hitter, is ninth among all Division I players in kills with 5.38 per game (269 kills). Caldwell, a libero, ranks 22nd in digs with an average of 5.26 per game (263 digs). Kirkwood is also hitting a team-best .326 and has recorded 22 service aces.
Second-year outside hitter Lindsay Osco (Houston, Texas/Elkins) is second on the team in kills (151), digs (184) and service aces (18). Fourth-year Alexis Geocaris (Wilmette, Ill./New Trier) leads UVa in blocks with 64 (1.33 per game) and is third with 142 kills. Second-year setter Emily Kirkwood (Tampa, Fla./Plant) is averaging 12.66 assists per game (633 assists).