'Cuse Continues Rivalries With Maryland, Pitt

WEEKEND PREVIEW: MARYLAND & PITTSBURGH
Game Details	Friday, Oct. 18 - at Maryland - 7 p.m. \| Comcast Center Pavilion Sunday, Oct. 20 - at Pittsburgh - 2 p.m. \| Fitzgerald Field House
Web Stream	Maryland \| Pittsburgh (ESPN3)
Live Stats	Maryland \| Pittsburgh
Game Coverage	Twitter: @Cuse \| @CuseVolleyball \| Facebook: Syracuse Volleyball
#SUVB Links	Match Notes \| Roster \| Schedule \| Live Stats \| Season Statistics \| Media Guide
Opponent Links	Maryland: Roster \| Schedule \| Stats \| @MDTerpsVolley Pittsburgh: Roster \| Schedule \| Stats \| Match Notes \| @PittVolleyball

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – After notching the programs first Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) win, Syracuse will continue their road swing with away trips to Maryland on Friday, Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. and at Pittsburgh on Sunday, Oct. 20 at 2 p.m.

LAST WEEK:

The Orange completed their first ACC road trip with a 1-1 record versus Virginia and Virginia Tech. Against the Cavaliers, SU dropped the first set, but took over from there, winning the next three sets to snap a five-game losing streak. Over the final three sets, SU hit at a clip of .411 after being held to just .042 in the first. On Sunday, Virginia Tech took the first two sets before falling to the Orange in the third. However, VT bounced back to take the final set and claim the victory.

In the weekend opener, redshirt junior Lindsay McCabe dominated on the court with a personal-best 12 blocks and a .583 hitting percentage against UVA. She followed up her career night with eight kills and a .500 hitting percentage along with three more blocks at Virginia Tech. Sophomore Silvi Uattara posted her second double-double of the season with 16 kills and 10 digs while hitting at a clip of .333 against the Hokies. Junior Melina Violas paced SU's defensive efforts with 25 digs and Erica Handley averaged 9.50 assists per set over both matches.

SCOUTING THE COMPETITION:

MARYLAND: After losing six of their past eight matches, the Terps are now 10-8 overall and 2-4 in the ACC this season. Ashlyn MacGregor, the eighth leading blocker in the ACC at 1.19 per set, leads a Maryland team at the net that ranks 28th nationally with 2.70 blocks per set. Sarah Harper also contributes on the defensive end with 4.97 digs per set, ranking first in the ACC and 34th nationally. Mary Cushman, who is seventh in the ACC with 3.58 digs per set and second on the team with 3.06 digs per set, paces the Terrapins this season.

PITTSBURGH: The Panthers started off the season with an 11-5 record, which included wins in their first three ACC matches, but have lost three since in ACC play to drop to 11-8, 3-3. Led by Lindsay Zitzke's .40 aces per set, Pitt averages 1.69 aces per set, which is 17th nationally. As a squad, the Panthers hit at a clip of .240, good for fifth-best in the ACC, which is aided by Mechael Guess' .330 hitting percentage. Kat Yeazel has been a factor on both offense and defense, sitting second on the team with 2.92 kills per set and 65 total blocks. Her .243 hitting percentage ranks third on the club.

500 WINS WATCH LIST:
After totaling 12 wins in his first season at Syracuse, head coach Leonid Yelin improved his wins record to 492, good for 32nd among active coaches. With six wins in 2013, Yelin is just two victories shy of breaking into the 500 wins category.

BUILDING BLOCKS:
Lindsay McCabe's 78 total blocks and 68 block assists in 2013 has propelled her into the program's top-10 all-time list for both categories. She sits eighth all-time with 369 career blocks and 314 career block assists. The 369 career blocks are also 25th among active Division I players in a career. For the season, the redshirt junior is averagin 1.20 blocks per set, which ranks 70th in the nation and sixth-best in the ACC. In conference-play, McCabe's 1.43 blocks per set leads all players and a career-best 12 blocks at Virginia is the third highest output of the season by an ACC player

SERIES HISTORY:
Syracuse and Maryland renew a rivalry that featured 13 of their 14 meetings between 1980-1991. The Terps started off the series by winning the first seven matches, while SU claimed the next six. UM swept the most recent matchup in 2002 and owns an 8-6 edge.

SU and Pitt have met every year since 1985, with the Panthers leading the series 31-9. Since Pitt won 14 in a row from 1987-1996, the Orange have gone 8-11 against their former BIG EAST foe, which includes a 5-3 record dating back to 2005. SU's last win against Pittsburgh came in 2011 at Pitt, while the Panthers exacted revenge with a sweep of the Orange in Syracuse last year.

UP NEXT:
The Orange return to Syracuse for matches with Georgia Tech on Friday, Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. and Clemson on Sunday, Oct. 27 at 1 p.m. The contest against the Yellow Jackets will be Syracuse's third match inside the Carrier Dome this season.

Syracuse University Athletics

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