Oct. 16, 2003

Chapel Hill, N.C. - North Carolina looks to rebound from a loss to Maryland, with wins over Wake Forest and Duke Thursday and Friday. The Tar Heels host Wake Forest tonight at 7 p.m. at Carmichael Auditorium. Tomorrow, UNC volleyball will play in the Smith Center for the first time in its history, as they face Duke at 7:30 p.m. in the Dean Smith Center. The Duke game will precede the "Late Night with Roy" festivities.

North Carolina will try to rebound from a loss to Maryland that set the Tar Heels back to 13-6 overall. UNC is led by junior outside hitter Molly Pyles. Pyles averages 3.81 kills per game and 2.48 digs per game. Junior middle hitter Katie Wright is second on the team in kills with 174 on the season, good for a 2.72 kills per game average. Libero Caroline deRoeck continues to be among the ACC leaders in digs, as she is currently fourth with a 3.57 per game average.

The Demon Deacons are 14-4 on the season and tied with UNC at 4-2 in the ACC. They are coming off a week in which they lost 0-3 to #5 Georgia Tech, but rebounded to win a thrilling 3-2 match over Clemson. Valerie Rydberg is among the leaders in the ACC in several categories. Rydberg leads the ACC in service aces per game with 0.63 per game, she is third in assists with a 3.79 per game average and fourth in kills with a 3.95 per game mark. Other key contributors include Erin Borhart and Christy Williams. Borhart is third in the ACC in assists with a 12.24 per game average and Williams averages 3.14 kills per game to go along with a .392 hitting percentage.

"We need to be emotionally intense," said head coach Joe Sagula. "I think that it's easier playing at home. We know Wake Forest is having an outstanding year. They have lots of weapons and they are a very good serving team. They lead the conference in serving, so we are going to have to pass well, that is one of the first fundamental things in the game."

The Duke Blue Devils are 6-12 on the season and 2-4 in conference play. Duke is coming off a loss to Georgia Tech, 0-3. Before that the Blue Devils had won two in a row over conference foes, defeating both Florida State and Clemson 3-0. Tassy Rufai leads the team with a 3.58 kills per game average and a 2.69 digs per game average. Krista Dill is second in the conference in blocks per game with a 1.56 average and Stephanie Istvan is fifth in the conference in digs with a 3.48 per game average.

"It's a great way to finish the first half of the ACC season," said Sagula of the Duke game. "Not only that it's at home, but it is an opportunity to play, maybe in one of the largest crowds ever, and to play in the Smith Center for the first time. I think we will come out very excited. It is a rare opportunity and I think we are going to make the most of it."