No. 6 Virginia Heads to ACC Tournament

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Date and Time Friday, Nov. 2, 3:30 p.m. Location Chapel Hill, N.C. | Francis E Henry Stadium
Media Televised on the ACC Regional Networks: FS South, FS Florida, Comcast SportsNet Mid-Atlantic, NESN, FS Arizona Plus, FS San Diego, FS Prime Ticket | ESPN3 Live Streaming Video | GameTracker Additional Information ACC Tournament Web Site | 2012 Season Stats | Season Preview | Rule Changes for 2012 | 2012 Record Book (.pdf)
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Nov. 1, 2012

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The No. 6 Virginia field hockey team (15-4, 4-1 ACC) will face No. 7 Maryland (15-4, 3-2 ACC) in the ACC Tournament Semifinals on Friday, Nov. 2 at 3:30 p.m. in Chapel Hill. The game will be broadcast live on the ACC Regional Networks.

Maryland advanced to the semifinals with a 2-1 victory over Duke in the opening round.

Virginia, which earned a first-round bye into the semifinals for the first time since 1998, is looking for its first ACC Tournament title. Virginia has advanced to the championship game six times, last playing for the title in 2009 when they fell 3-2 in overtime to Maryland when the tournament was being played in Charlottesville.The Cavaliers last trip to the semifinals ended in a 1-0 overtime loss to North Carolina in 2010.

Virginia, who faced North Carolina in Chapel Hill on Oct. 13 and Duke on Oct. 27, will be playing in the Research Triangle region for the third time in four weeks.Virginia head coach Michele Madison is approaching another career milestone. Madison, who won the 300th game of her head coaching career earlier this season, comes into the game with a record of 99-51 in her six seasons as the Cavalier head coach. A victory would make her the third head coach in program history to win 100 games at Virginia. The 100 victories would also tie her with Jane Miller (1983-91) for second most career victories at UVa. Linda Southworth (1975-82) is the winningest coach in the program’s history with 118 wins in eight seasons.As a team, Virginia ranks in the top-ten in six different statistical categories including ranking seventh with a 4.0 scoring average.

Paige Selenksi (R-Sr., Shavertown, Pa.) became Virginia’s all-time leader in career points in the Duke game. Selenski will end her career ranked second on the ACC career list, trailing only Maryland alum Katie O’Donnell (2007-10) in career points (306). Selenski comes into the game with 233 career points, one of only seven players in ACC history to score more than 200 career points.

Selenski is closing in on another Virginia and ACC record, the career goals mark. Selenski trails Virginia alum Meredith Thorpe (1995-98) by three goals. Selenski has 98 career goals coming into the game. Thorpe is the only player in ACC history to score more than 100 goals in her career. Selenski is currently third on the ACC career goal list, trailing O’Donnell who scored 99 in her career.

Selenski is trying to become the second player this season to score 100 career goals. Northwestern’s Chelsea Armstrong reached the mark on Oct. 21. Selenski is in the top-10 in NCAA Division I history with her 98 career goals, ranking tenth. Her 233 points ranks ninth.

Selenski leads the ACC in six different statistical categories including shots (108), shots-per-game (6.0), points (62), points-per-game (3.44), goals (25), and game-winning goals (7). Selenski is currently second among all NCAA Division I players in points-per-game, fourth in goals-per-game, and 13th in assists-per-game.

Selenski was one of four Cavaliers to earn All-ACC honors. Selenski and North Carolina’s Kelsey Kolojejchick both have been named to the All-ACC squad four times, just the eighth and ninth players in the 30-year history of ACC field hockey to be four-time honorees.

Elly Buckley (Jr., Scarborough Perth, Australia) earned her third straight All-ACC honor. Buckley leads the ACC with four defensive saves this season. On the offensive end, the sweeper is tied for third in the ACC and ranks 20th in the nation in goals-per-game (0.79) as well as placing fourth in the ACC and 22nd in the national rankings in points-per-game (1.95).

Michelle Vittese’s (R-Sr., Cherry Hill, N.J.) also earned her third career All-ACC honor. Vittese is averaging 1.39 points-per-game, ranking tenth in the ACC.

Goalkeeper Jenny Johnstone (So., Paisley, Scotland) earned her first All-ACC honor. Johnstone leads the conference with a 75.9 percent save percentage (17th in the nation) and is second with a 1.42 goals-against average (13th in the nation). Johnstone has a 12-3 record with two shutouts.

All four players were also members of the preseason All-ACC team.

Virginia forward Britt Knouse has been invited to participate in the prestigious NFHCA Senior Game on Saturday, Nov. 17 at Old Dominion at 3 p.m. Knouse missed the first 15 games of the 2012 season, working her way back from a knee injury she sustained last year in spring practice. She returned to action against North Carolina and has started the Cavaliers’ last two games. She began her career by scoring a goal in her very first game, adding nine more goals and four assists over her career.

The NCAA Selection Show will stream live on NCAA.com on Tuesday, Nov. 6 at 8 p.m. Eastern Time. The selection show will reveal the field of 16 teams and the four host sites for the first and second round games to be played on Nov. 10 and 11. The NCAA semifinals (Nov. 16) and finals (Nov. 18) will be played at Old Dominion in Norfolk, Va.

If UVa wins on Friday, it will have an off day on Saturday before the 1 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 4 championship game.