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Nov. 3, 2006

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CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia volleyball team matched its season-high with 15 service aces while rolling to a 3-0 (30-18, 30-25, 30-20) victory over Maryland before a Memorial Gym record crowd of 817 Friday evening (Nov. 3). Fourth-year setter Emily Kirkwood (Tampa, Fla.) became UVa’s career leader in aces as she notched the 155th ace of her career. The Cavaliers have now won five consecutive matches and improve to 18-6 overall and 11-4 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Maryland had its three-match winning streak snapped and falls to 11-12 overall and 4-10 in the ACC.

The Cavaliers used an aggressive serving game to compile a season-high tying 15 aces, which ties for the third-highest single match total in school history. All six players who served for UVa had at least one ace with first-year outside hitter Lauren Dickson (Austin, Texas) leading the way with a career-best five aces. Fourth-year Emily Perilli (Thompson’s Station, Tenn.) also notched a career high with four aces.

Third-year outside hitter Sarah Kirkwood (Tampa, Fla.) led UVa with 13 kills and six digs, and added two aces and a pair of assists. UVa’s two middles, third-year Katie Oakes (Lorton, Va.) and second-year Shannon Davis (Austin, Texas), both had 12 kills. Davis hit a career-best .688 (12 kills, 1 error, 16 attempts), while Oakes hit .348 with a team-high five blocks.

Fourth-year setter Emily Kirkwood (Tampa, Fla.) handed out 39 assists and also contributed three kills, three digs, and two blocks in addition to her school record 155th career ace. Third-year libero Melissa Caldwell (Houston, Texas) equaled Sarah Kirkwood for team-high honors in digs with six. In addition to her five aces, Dickson posted eight kills and a .312 hitting percentage. Fourth-year outside hitter Lindsay Osco (Houston, Texas) had two aces and six kills, while third-year defensive specialist Beth Shelton (Cincinnati, Ohio) had five digs and recorded on ace.

Jade Brown led Maryland with seven kills and five blocks, while Mary Beth Brown added six kills and four blocks. Katie Usher also had five blocks.

As a team, the Cavaliers hit an impressive .306 in the match with 54 kills, while Maryland hit .200 with 28 kills. UVa outscored Maryland 74-41 and held a huge 15-2 edge in service aces. The Terps won the blocking battle 11-5 and also held a slight 27-24 edge in digs.

Virginia trailed just once the entire match and that was early in the first game. The Cavaliers had seven aces while winning the first game 30-18. In game two, UVa hit .349 in a 30-25 win. Davis connected on five of her six attack attempts while Sarah Kirkwood also had five kills. UVa never trailed while taking a 30-20 victory in game three. Sarah Kirkwood tallied six of her kills in the final frame and Virginia also posted six service aces.

Virginia returns to action on Saturday (Nov. 4) when it hosts Boston College at 5:00 p.m. at Memorial Gym.

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