Volleyball ends season on winning note
By Vanessa St. Gerard
Old Gold and Black Reporter

The Deacon volleyball team ended its season with two victories at the Turkey Classic held at the University of Alabama, to end the 2001 campaign with a 20-11 overall record, and 10-7 in the ACC.

After being knocked out of the ACC Tournament with a first-round loss to Florida State, the Deacs traveled to Tuscaloosa, Ala., to play in the inaugural Turkey Classic from Nov. 23-24. There, the Demon Deacons faced the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders.

The Deacs came back to defeat Alabama in the first game of their contest. The Crimson Tide led 25-22 before the Deacons rallied with five straight points to go up 27-25.
The Deacon squad held onto the lead and won the first game 30-28. In the second game, the Deacs had a 10-point lead at 20-10 before Alabama went on a 14-4 run to tie the game at 24. Alabama led at 28-27, but the Deacs went on to score three straight points to win the match 30-28.

The seesaw battle continued in the third game. The Deacs were ahead 27-25 late in the game before scoring three straight points to finish off a three-game sweep of Alabama.
Senior outside hitter Trina Maso de Moya posted a game-high 18 digs, while sophomore middle blocker Jessica Hauff posted a team-high 12 kills for the match. As a team, the Deacs tallied 46 kills, 14 blocks and six aces.

On the second day of the tournament, the Deacons once again swept their opponents. The Deacs defeated the Blue Raiders in three games, 30-22, 30-24 and 30-25.
Maso de Moya collected game highs in both kills and digs, posting 17 and 18, respectively. She also served up a career-best seven aces in her final collegiate match.
Sophomore outside hitter Sara Beth DeLisle tallied 12 kills, 15 digs and a team-best .364 hitting percentage while senior middle blocker Margaret Davidson recorded 10 kills and two block assists.

The win over the Blue Raiders marked the Deacs’ 20th victory of the season, which also marked the fourth consecutive time the Demon Deacons have finished with a 20-win season.

“I am very pleased to have another 20-win season, for a predominantly young team.” Head Coach Valorie Baker said.

“We had a lot of leadership presented by our senior class who statistically and emotionally supported the team throughout the year. I would have liked to have won in the ACC Tournament, but we were able to compete and win two good matches to end the season.”

On Nov. 16, the Deacons entered the ACC Tournament ranked fifth in the conference. Fourth-ranked Florida State hosted this year’s tournament and faced the Deacs in both teams’ first round of play.

The Deacs were swept in three games by the Seminoles, 23-30, 26-30 and 27-30.
Maso de Moya led the team with 16 kills and 14 digs, while Davidson added 11 kills for the Demon Deacons.

“I was a little disappointed with our overall team performance,” Baker said. “We had individuals that played a good match but as a team, we didn’t pull together enough to overcome the competition. Florida State played a great tournament and that showed in their play.”

The Seminoles went on to face the No. 2 Tar Heels in the championship match, where they lost 1-3.

Seniors Maso de Moya and Davidson earned All-ACC honors when they were selected for the first and second team, respectively. Along with defensive specialist Amber Rieg, the Deacon team graduates three seniors.