Virginia Volleyball Heads to San Diego
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Sept. 5, 2007
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The Virginia volleyball team (4-2, 0-0 ACC) heads back west for its final non-conference action of the season at the San Diego Tournament. The Cavaliers will face Oklahoma at 5 p.m. (8 p.m. ET) Friday before playing two matches Saturday, beginning with a 10 a.m. (1 p.m. ET) contest against the host Toreros. UVa will conclude the event with a 5 p.m. (8 p.m. ET) match versus UC Santa Barbara.
SERIES INFORMATION
Against Oklahoma: First Meeting
Against San Diego: 1-3Last Meeting: Aug. 30, 2002Result: San Diego, 3-0 (30-20, 30-21, 30-25)
Against UC Santa Barbara: First Meeting
LAST TIME OUT
Virginia finished second in the 2007 Marriott Jefferson Cup, going 2-1 last weekend in first home matches of the season. On Friday, the Cavaliers fell to Arkansas 3-0, though all three matches were neck-and-neck most of the way (scores were 30-27, 31-29 and 30-25). UVa rebounded on Saturday with a sweep on Norfolk State and a comeback win over Temple 3-1 after dropping the first game. The Lady Razorbacks won the annual event after going 3-0 on the weekend. Additionally, Virginia fourth years Melissa Caldwell and Sarah Kirkwood were named to the all-tournament team.
KIRKWOOD EYES CAREER KILLS RECORD
Fourth-year Sarah Kirkwood needs seven kills to tie current record holder Deanna Zwarich for the most kills in a career. The Tampa, Fla., native tallied 59 kills over the weekend, which gave her 102 for the season. Kirkwood currently holds the No. 1 spot on Virginia’s kills per game list as well.
KIRKWOOD SETS CAREER ACES RECORD
Fourth-year outside hitter Sarah Kirkwood set Virginia’s career record for service aces in UVa’s season-opener against Texas Tech (Aug. 24). Kirkwood blasted seven aces in that match to surpass her sister Emily (167 career aces) as the program’s all-time leader. She currently has 179 career aces.
CALDWELL, OAKES ALSO AT THE TOP
Fourth years Melissa Caldwell and Katie Oakes join Kirkwood at the top of career lists. Caldwell, the squad’s returning libero, currently holds the top spot for digs per game. The Dallas native also has a shot at breaking the program record for career digs, needing 363 more to claim the top spot. Meanwhile, Oakes is first in blocks per game and ranks among the top 10 in block assists and kills per game.
A GLANCE AT OKLAHOMA
The Sooners, who were a NCAA Sweet 16 team a year ago, are 5-1 this season. The team’s only loss came to Middle Tennessee (0-3), who jumped to No. 25 in the polls this week. Oklahoma averages 17.11 kills per game and a .257 hitting percentage, led by Sarah Weiland (4.00 kpg) and Mariana Blum (3.84 kpg).
A GLANCE AT SAN DIEGO
San Diego is ranked 18th in the latest AVCA/CSTV coaches poll released Monday (Sept. 3). The Toreros are 2-3 overall heading into competition this weekend, posting sweeps against then-No. 19 Long Beach State and Fairfield. San Diego has lost its last three matches to ranked teams: No. 2 Stanford (0-3), then-No. 23 Ohio (2-3) and then-No. 9 Minnesota (1-3). The Toreros have a .237 hitting percentage and register 15.44 kills per game. Laurel Abrahamson leads the squad with 3.61 kpg and a .425 hitting percentage.
A GLANCE UC SANTA BARBARA
UC Santa Barbara is 2-4 overall heading into the upcoming weekend. The Gauchos’ two wins were both 3-1 victories over Long Island and Fairfield, while the team has dropped matches to San Diego State (2-3), UNLV (1-3), Loyola Marymount (0-3) and Northwestern (1-3). Lauren McLaughlin’s 5.38 kills per game leads a team that averages 15.50 kpg along with a .227 hitting percentage.
`HOOS AMONG ACC LEADERS
After two weeks of play, Sarah Kirkwood is leading the ACC in points, averaging 5.48 per game. Kirkwood’s 102 kills also is tied for the most among league players, though she is second in kills per game at 4.64, behind Duke’s Carrie DeMange. Kirkwood also ranks among the top 10 in service aces. Meanwhile, Katie Oakes currently ranks sixth in blocks per game (1.36) and Marlow Bruneau is ninth in assists per game (9.25)
UP NEXT
Virginia will open ACC action next Friday (Sept. 14) at home against rival Virginia Tech. Match time is set for 7 p.m.