Volleyball Set to Battle Georgia Tech, Clemson
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Charlottesville, Va. – The Virginia volleyball team (7-5, 2-1 ACC) hits the road for its first conference matches away from Charlottesville this weekend. First up is Georgia Tech at 7 p.m. Friday, in a tape-delay televised match on SportSouth (will be broadcast Oct. 7). The Cavaliers will take on Clemson at 6 p.m. Saturday and that match can be seen live on ACC Select at www.accselect.com.
SERIES INFORMATION
Against Georgia Tech: Georgia Tech leads 24-16
Last Meeting: Nov. 25, 2006 in Atlanta, Ga.
Result: Virginia, 3-0 (31-29, 30-26, 30-27)
Also in 2006: Virginia swept the 2006 series with GT after a 3-2 win in Charlottesville on Oct. 21.
Against Clemson: Clemson leads 31-13
Last Meeting: Nov. 24, 2006
Result: Clemson, 3-0 (22-30, 25-30, 28-30)
Also in 2006: The two teams split the 06 series. UVa won the first match in Charlottesville, 3-1, on Oct. 20.
LAST TIME OUT
Virginia split its matches last weekend, a 3-1 win over Florida State Friday and a 3-2 hard-fought loss to Miami Saturday, to close its three-match ACC homestand.
Friday against the Seminoles, the team set the program record with 23 total blocks. Fourth year Katie Oakes tallied a career-high 14 blocks, which was good for second place all-time. Though the Cavaliers dropped the first game, the squad came back to win three straight and claim the match.
Against the Hurricanes, Virginia fell in the fifth and deciding game, 15-7. Sarah Kirkwood recorded a match-high 26 kills and teammate Lauren Dickson added 24 kills. Defensively, Melissa Caldwell tied the match-high with 23 digs and Oakes added six blocks.
HOOS AMONG ACC LEADERS
Several Cavaliers rank among the top 10 in the latest statistical reports from the ACC. Sarah Kirkwood is second among league players in kills, averaging 4.64 per game. That mark trails Duke’s Carrie DeMange, who puts up 5.15 kpg. Additionally, Kirkwood ranks fifth in service aces.
Melissa Caldwell is seventh among the ACC dig leaders with 4.07 dpg. Teammate Katie Oakes moved from eighth to fourth in blocks, averaging 1.44 bpg after totaling 20 swats last weekend.
A GLANCE AT GEORGIA TECH
Georgia Tech is 2-0 in conference play thus far and 8-4 overall. Last weekend, the Yellow Jackets won at North Carolina (3-1) and NC State (3-1). Georgia Tech also met earlier in the season with Arkansas, who played in the Jefferson Cup in Charlottesville. The Ramblin’ Wreck knocked off the Lady Razorbacks 3-1 in its season-opening tournament.
Among ACC leaders, Talisha Kellogg ranks fourth in kills, averaging 3.98 kpg. Teammate Mary Ashley Tippins also is fourth with 11.17 assists per game. Meanwhile, Michelle Kandell is sixth in digs, Lindsey Grey is sixth in service aces and Nikki Kaminskas is 10th in blocks.
A GLANCE AT CLEMSON
Clemson, along with Georgia Tech and Duke, is one of three unbeatens in conference play. The Tigers have the most overall wins with a 9-2 record and are 2-0 in the ACC after defeating NC State (3-0) and North Carolina (3-1) last weekend on the road.
Two of Clemson’s players lead the conference in hitting percentage and digs. Meghan Steiner currently tops th ACC rankings with a .405 hitting percentage and Didem Ege is first in digs, averaging a league-best 5.59 dpg. Danielle Hepburn is among the top 10 in hitting percentage (third, .381), kills (sixth, 3.82 kpg) and blocks (eighth, 1.31 bpg). Kelsey Murphy also is second in assists with 11.69 apg and Jeanette Abbott is ninth with 3.61 kills per game.
RECORD BREAKER
Fourth year and team tri-captain Sarah Kirkwood has set three program records this season. She set the career record for service aces in UVa’s season-opener against Texas Tech (Aug. 24), blasting seven aces in that match to surpass her sister Emily (167 career aces) as the program’s all-time leader. She currently has 190 career aces.
In Virginia’s match against Oklahoma (Sept. 7), Kirkwood set the school record for career kills. Needing just eight kills to take over the top spot on the list, Kirkwood posted a match-high 15 kills against the Sooners to replace former Cavalier Deanna Zwarich as the career leader. Kirkwood has tallied 1,628 kills in her career.
Her third program record came in the ACC opener against Virginia Tech (Sept. 14), this time for attack attempts. Kirkwood needed 18 more attempts to break Paige Davis’ record of 4,018 career attack attempts. Davis was one of the program’s first All-Americans and is the older sister of Kirkwood’s teammate, Shannon Davis. Kirkwood now has 4,137 career attack attempts.
CALDWELL, OAKES ALSO AT THE TOP
Fourth years Melissa Caldwell and Katie Oakes join Kirkwood near the top of career lists. Caldwell, the squad’s returning libero, currently holds the top spot for digs per game. Oakes, meanwhile, is reclaimed first place in blocks per game and ranks among the top 10 in block assists and kills per game.
CLOSING IN
Caldwell also has a shot at breaking the program record for career digs, needing 255 more to claim the top spot. The Houston native claimed sole possession of second place last weekend, compiling 39 digs in the team’s two matches.
UP NEXT
Virginia returns home to take on Boston College (7 p.m. Oct. 5) and Maryland (5 p.m. Oct. 6) at Memorial Gymnasium. The Friday game against BC can be seen live on ACC Select at www.accselect.com.