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Sept. 28, 2005
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The University of Virginia volleyball team begins the home portion of its Atlantic Coast Conference schedule this weekend at Memorial Gym with a pair of matches. The Cavaliers begin the weekend with a 7:00 p.m. match Friday (September 30) against Boston College and then wrap up the weekend with a 5:00 p.m. match against Maryland on Saturday (October 1). The two matches begin a five-match homestand for UVa. Admission is free of charge.
The Cavaliers stand at 6-5 overall and 1-1 in the ACC. UVa opened conference play last weekend with a 3-0 win at NC State, but then fell 3-0 at North Carolina. Boston College, in its first season of ACC play, is 5-7 overall and 0-3 in the conference. The match against the Eagles marks the second meeting between the two schools in volleyball. UVa won the initial meeting 3-1 in September of 1988. Maryland is in first place in the ACC standings with a 3-0 record and are also undefeated overall with a 12-0 mark. The Terps lead the all-time series against Virginia 31-12.
Second-year outside hitter Sarah Kirkwood (Tampa, Fla./Plant) leads Virginia with 154 kills (3.95 per game) and 24 service aces. Second-year outside hitter Beth Shelton (Cincinnati, Ohio/St. Ursula Academy) is second on the team with 98 kills. Third-year setter Emily Kirkwood (Tampa, Fla./Plant) is averaging 11.03 assists per game and is second on the team with 18 service aces. Second-year libero Melissa Caldwell (Houston, Texas/Stratford) tops the team with 158 digs for an average of 4.05 per game.
After this weekend’s matches, UVa continues its homestand against Virginia Tech on Tuesday (October 4) with a 7:00 p.m. match in Memorial Gym. The match marks the first competition between Virginia and Virginia Tech in the newly formed Commonwealth Challenge presented by Adelphia.