Sports > October 27, 2004

By Ryan Durham

Old Gold & Black Reporter

The volleyball team went on the road Oct. 22 and finally ended its nine-game losing streak against Maryland. The next day, the Deacs lost a heartbreaker at Virginia in their bid to win a second straight match.

Oct. 22, Maryland took a small lead in game one of the match, jumping out 3-1. The Deacs rallied to tie the game at 5-5. Maryland then scored eight straight points, which give them a lead that the Deacs were not able to overcome. Despite a small run by Wake Forest near the end of the game, Maryland was able to win 30-25.

The tables were reversed in game two of the match. The two teams stayed even for the first nine points of the match, but then Wake Forest took the Terps on a 7-1 run. They had another small three-point run at the end of the game, which give the Deacs the win 30-25.

Game three was another back-and-forth game. The teams tied the game on eight separate occasions. The Deacs could not hold off a strong Terrapin attack that gaveMaryland an 8-2 run. Wake Forest never seemed to get back in the game, and the Terps won 30-17.

The Deacs came into game four strong and determined not to lose. The score was tied 10 times before a streak of five points gave the Deacs the lead. They managed to hold off the Terps and won the game 30-24.

Wake Forest was able to take a quick lead in the final game of the match, but the Terps rallied back to bring the score within one. A bad set on Maryland’s part let the Deacs take a 10-6 lead. This allowed them to win the game and the match with a score of 15-12.

The team got a strong contribution from junior Erin Borhart, who managed her third triple-double of the year with 13 kills, 52 assists and 17 digs.

“This victory was special for a few reasons,” Borhart said. “First, it was an end to our losing streak. Second, we haven’t beaten Maryland in the last two seasons and lastly it gave us some much-needed confidence back.”

Junior Valerie Rydberg also chipped in a double-double with 11 kills and 21 digs.

The Deacs returned to action Oct. 23 against Virginia and hoped to win a second straight road match.

Wake Forest got off to rough starts in each of the first two games of the match. They were unable to hold off the Cavaliers attacks and lost both games. They lost 30-25 in both of the first two games.

However, the Deacs managed to turn it around in game three of the match. The Cavs got out to an early 1-4 lead, but Wake Forest was able to tie the score at 8-8. At this point the Deacs started fighting back. They took Virginia point for point all the way to the 24-24 mark of the game. With a kill and a block by senior Kim Stern and three consecutive service aces by Rydberg, the Deacs were able to take the game 30-24.

The fourth game went much like the third. The Cavs jumped out to a small lead but the Deacons were able to recover and tie the game up. They tied the score seven times before Rydberg once again came to the line for the Deacs. Despite a strong Wake Forest attack, the score was still tied 28-28. A kill by Borhart and an attack error by Virginia quickly remedied this situation. This gave the Deacs the game 30-28.

Borhart served first in game five, giving Wake Forest a 3-1 lead. But an attack error on the Deacs and a kill by Virginia tied the game at 4-4. The score was tied three times before Virginia went on a 5-2 run to deal the Deacs a tough 11-15 defeat.

Borhart posted her fourth triple-double of the season, and Stern posted a career high 23 kills. Rydberg also had her ninth double-double of the season with 28 digs and 18 kills. Sophomore Natasha Schaefer also tied her career high of 19 digs in the match.

“We played well and fought back incredibly hard. It just seemed to fall short this time,” Stern said.

The Deacs return to action Oct. 29 against N.C. State in Reynolds Gym.