Sept. 2, 1999

VILLANOVA, PA. ? For the second year in a row, the Villanova volleyball team had the tough task of opening their season against the University of Maryland. Much to the dismay of head coach Heather Hoehn, the outcome was comparable. The Terps handed the Wildcats a similar 3-1 defeat. Maryland dominated the first two games, 15-5, 15-4, but the visiting Wildcats captured the third game 15-6 and surged to a 9-3 lead in the fourth. From there however, Maryland went on a 12-2 run to finish the game and the match. Freshman outside hitter Carey Brennan and senior Beth Murphy led the Terps with 15 kills each, while setter Libby Alberts had 51 assists.

For the Wildcats, Tina Zitterich led the way with 12 kills, as Breen Eddinger added 10 kills. One pleasant surprise for coach Hoehn was the play of freshman Leah Mathews who recorded a game-high 17 digs. Stacey Moline recorded 24 assists in the losing effort.

Villanova will travel to Blacksburg, Va. This weekend to participate in the Virginia Lottery Hokie Classic. The Wildcats will open up against Northern Illinois on Friday, Sept. 3 at 4:30 p.m. The following day, Nova will play the host squad, Virginia Tech at noon and conclude with a match-up versus Kentucky at 4:30 p.m.

Scoring: Assists-Alberts 51 (UM), Moline 24 (VU), Kills-Maryland (65), Murphy (15), Brennan (15), Hannas (11) Amobi (10), Stuart (8), Villanova (46), Zitterich (12), Eddinger (10), Blankenheim (6), Digs-Maryland (63), Murphy (16), Alberts (16), Villanova (57), Mathews (17), Eddinger 911), Blankenheim (10), Moline (7).

Score By Game