Oct. 11, 2000

Chapel Hill, N.C. - The University of North Carolina kicks off an ACC weekend hosting the Demon Deacons Friday night at 7:30 p.m. Following the match, the Carolina men's basketball team will host "Midnight with Matt and the Tar Heels". Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. Both events are free and open to the public.

Carolina is 16-3 for the season and remains undefeated in the ACC with a 6-0 record. The Tar Heels are coming off a five-match road trip posting a 4-1 record. On Oct. 1 UNC defeated Florida State 2-3 and returned to Florida on Oct. 4 to face the 9th ranked Gators. Florida swept the Tar Heels, but they regrouped and posted two final wins against Maryland (3-0) and Virginia (3-2). Carolina's successful road trip garnered them 33 votes in this week's AVCA poll for a 27th ranking. UNC's 16-3 ranks them 18th in the NCAA.

The Heels met Maryland at Ritchie Coliseum. UNC's win over the Terps was led by Nicole Reis with a match-high 17 kills and nine digs. Casey Simpson posted her sixth double-double of the year with 11 kills and 12 digs.

Against the Cavaliers, Carolina struggled in games one and two before rallying to a win in the fifth game and edging Virginia in a 3-2 victory. Reis once again paced the Tar Heels with a career high 29 kills and 16 digs followed by Laura Greene and Simpson with 15 and 14 kills respectively. Greene also chipped in 18 digs for her seventh double-double of the season. Lisa Fryer added 17 digs and Eve Rackham tallied a match-high 58 assists and 15 digs.

Rackham, currently ranked third in the ACC, has 593 assists this season and is averaging 12.62 per game.

The Deacons

Wake Forest is 10-6 overall and 2-4 in ACC action after falling to Clemson 2-3, October 7 at Reynolds Gym. The Deacons were led by junior middle blocker Margaret Davidson, who registered 26 kills. Junior outside hitter Trina Maso de Moya added 24 kills and a season-high 31 digs.

Maso De Moya leads the Deacons averaging 4.98 kills and 5.02 digs per game. Junior Margaret Davidson trails averaging 3.80 per game and leads the team in blocks (1.02). Maso de Moya also leads the ACC in kills and digs and is third in service aces. Sophomore setter Ashlee Phillips posts 12.80 assists per game. The Deacons will host Elon College Tuesday night before their match-up with the Tar Heels.

UNC vs. Wake Forest

The Tar Heels lead their all-time series against the Deacons 22-5. Carolina went 3-0 in 1999 on their way to an ACC Championship win. The Deacons put up a good fight pushing all three matches to five games.

The Blue Devils

Duke is 15-5 overall and 4-2 in ACC action after sweeping Virginia Tech Oct. 10 at home. The Blue Devils were led by junior outside hitter Dorrette Burwell, who registered 12 kills. Sophomore outside hitter Jill Sonne tallied 10 kills and 12 digs for the win.

In Duke's win over Florida State (Oct. 7) three players posted double-doubles led by Ashley Harris with 22 kills and 15 digs. Burwell added 18 kills and 17 digs followed by Sonne with 13 kills and 17 digs.

Harris, Sonne and Burwell lead the team averaging over 3.0 kills per game. Freshman Krista Dill leads the team in blocks (1.22) and is ranked second in the ACC. As a team, Duke leads the ACC in hitting percentage (.264), blocks (2.68) and service aces (2.16)

UNC vs. Duke

The Tar Heels have a slight lead in their all-time series against the Blue Devils 35-32. The teams went 1-1 in 1999 with Duke winning 3-2 in their last meeting (11/7/99). This is the first year of the annual Carlyle Cup competition between the local rivals. Carolina has jumped ahead to a 9-0 lead.

Milestones

Senior Liz Feldman is the top dig getter for the Heels with 3.21 per game average. Feldman posted a career high 26 digs against the win over Virginia. With a career 814 digs, Feldman should reach the 1,000 digs mark this year.

Triple Threat

Offensively, the Tar Heels have three players averaging over 3.50 kills per game. Reis leads the Tar Heels with 220 kills and a 4.31 per game average. Greene follows closely with 215 kills (3.58) and has already surpassed her 1999 total of 187 kills for the season. Simpson claims a total 190 kills and a 3.80 average for the season.

In the Middle

Defensively, Carolina middle hitters Holly Strauss and Krista Buchholz lead the Heels in blocks posting 65 and 63 respectively. Buchholz is fourth in the ACC averaging 1.10 blocks per game. Offensively for the Tar Heels, Buchholz ranks fourth on the team in kills (140) and Strauss is fifth (133). Strauss is second in the ACC in hitting percentage posting a .374 average.

Academic Honors

At UNC, athletes are still first and foremost students. While most universities make that claim, Carolina student-athletes prove it. Several players were listed on the 1999-2000 ACC Academic Honor Roll, and earned Dean's List honors.

Current players: Krista Buchholz, Liz Feldman, Laura Greene, Melissa Higgins, and Malaika Underwood