Terps Ready For Round Two With Rutgers Saturday
10/23/2014 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Maryland volleyball team completes its home-and-home with Rutgers Saturday at 7 p.m. at the College Ave. Gymnasium in Piscataway, N.J.
• The Terps earned their first Big Ten Conference win over the Scarlet Knights, 3-2, Tuesday evening on the Big Ten Network..
Last Time out
• Maryland defeated Rutgers, 3-2, in a thrilling, nationally televised match Tuesday evening in College Park.
• After missing three matches to injury, senior outside hitter Ashleigh Crutcher returned to the court and dominated the match. Crutcher recorded 22 kills, her second highest total for the season, on .298 hitting, as well as three digs and three blocks.
• Freshman middle blocker Hailey Murray made six assisted blocks while sophomore middle blocker Ashlyn MacGregor made five blocks, one solo and four assisted.
• Sophomore setter Carlotta Oggioni recorded her sixth double-double of the season with 19 assists and 12 digs.
• The Terps made 11 service aces, with sophomore setter Whitney Craigo serving four and junior libero Amy Dion making three.
Scouting the scarlet knights
• Rutgers is still looking for its first conference win of the season after falling to Maryland Tuesday.
• Middle blocker Lauren Cloyd made 13 kills to pace the Scarlet Knights, in addition to five digs and six blocks. Outside hitter Meme Fletcher recorded a double-double with 12 kills and 11 digs. Fletcher also made three service aces and four blocks. Middle blocker Mikaela Matthews led the match with 10 blocks (1 BS, 9 BA).
• On the season, Fletcher paces Rutgers with 194 kills (2.59/s). Matthews leads the team with 81 blocks (1.05/s) while libero Ali Schroeter is making 4.31 digs/s (332 total).
record attendance
• The Terps have already set three attendance records in nine home matches this season.• The Maryland-Michigan State match (10/17) drew 4,173 fans to the XFINITY Center main court, the largest attendance in the program's history.
• Maryland's home opener against Indiana (10/3) brought 1,238 fans to the XFINITY Center Pavilion, the largest attendance since 2010. It was also the seventh-largest crowd in Maryland history.
• In a nationally televised match against Rutgers (10/22), the Terps drew 1,215 fans to the XFINITY Center Pavilion, the eighth-largest crowd in Maryland history.
• The Terps are currently averaging 1,596 fans in College Park.
btn schedule released
• The Terps are slated to play at least 14 matches this season on the Big Ten Network platform, including the Rutgers match on Oct. 21 which will air nationally on Big Ten Network.
• The other 13 matches will be streamed live on the BTN2Go app (BTN Plus), which is the official app of the Big Ten Network. Fans can access all Big Ten content on BTN Plus for $119.95 per year or a $14.95 monthly subscription.
• A Maryland School Pass for BTN Plus, which includes all Terrapin contests, home and away, on BTN Plus for $79.95 per year or for a $9.95 monthly subscription.
think b1g
• As a new member of the Big Ten, Maryland enters one of the most talented conferences in the nation. Eight Big Ten programs are either ranked or received votes in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll: Wisconsin (5), Penn State (7), Illinois (10) Purdue (13), Nebraska (14), Ohio State (20), Minnesota (25) and Michigan (RV).
• Prior to joining the conference, the Terps had met nine Big Ten programs in their 43-season history: Indiana (2-1), Michigan (0-5), Michigan State (1-2), Minnesota (0-3), Nebraska (1-3), Ohio State (1-6), Penn State (6-17), Rutgers (8-11) and Wisconsin (0-1).
• Before joining the conference, the Terps were 19-48 all-time against Big Ten programs.
• Maryland plays Illinois, Iowa, Northwestern and Purdue for the first time in program history this season.
tough schedule
• The Terps are playing 13 matches against teams ranked in the AVCA preseason national poll this season - marking their toughest schedule in history.
• As a new member of the Big Ten, Maryland enters one of the most talented conferences in the nation. The Terps will play a pair of matches against No. 3 Penn State, No. 8 Nebraska, No. 15 Purdue, No. 16 Illinois and No. 18 Minnesota (preseason rankings).
crusher crutcher
• Senior outside hitter Ashleigh Crutcher reached the 1,000 career kills mark earlier this season against East Tennessee State.
• The Raleigh, N.C., native currentlly leads the team and is sixth in the Big Ten with 217 kills (3.50 kills/s).
• A two-time all-conference performer and honorable mention all-American as a sophomore, Crutcher leads the Terrapin offense. The Raleigh, N.C., native has the ability to take matches over, tallying more than 20 kills on four occasions last season.
immediate impact
• Three newcomers to the Terps have made impressions for Maryland through the beginning of the 2014 slate.
• Sophomore setter Carlotta Oggioni, a transfer from Oregon State, is currently ranked first on the team in assists per set (7.15). An immediate starter for the Terps, Oggioni is also third on the team with 2.00 digs/s. Oggioni was named to the Elon Phoenix Classic and Patriot Invitational all-tournament teams.
• Freshman middle blocker Hailey Murray was named to the Black & Gold Challenge all-tournament team. Murray is first on the Terps with 1.00 blocks/s and is averaging 1.85 kills/s.
• Freshman defensive specialist Samantha Higginbothem has seen time in all 20 matches and is averaging 1.17 digs/s.
murray makes splash
• Freshman middle blocker Hailey Murray has found a new gear as the Terps entered Big Ten play.
• Through nine conference matches, Murray is averaging 1.18 blocks/s, leading the Terps and good for 10th in the Big Ten.
• Murray is averaging 2.21 kills/s in Big Ten play, good for second on the team. She is also ninth in the conference with a .311 hitting percentage.
