Terrapins Travel to No. 18 Ohio State, No. 6 Penn State
11/6/2014 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Maryland volleyball team begins a four-match road trip at No. 18 Ohio State and No. 6 Penn State this weekend.
• The Terps (9-14, 2-10 Big Ten) take on the Buckeyes (16-8, 7-5) Friday at 7 p.m. in Columbus, Ohio. The match will be streamed on BTN Plus on BTN2Go.
• Maryland faces off against the Nittany Lions (22-3, 10-2) Saturday at 7 p.m. in University Park, Pa.
• The Terps' visit to Penn State is the first homecoming for Maryland head coach Steve Aird and
assistant coach Adam Hughes. Aird and Hughes both attended Penn State and served on Russ Rose's coaching staff when the Nittany Lions won the national championship last season.
Last Time out
• The Terps fell in straight sets to Iowa and No. 13 Nebraska last weekend in College Park.
• Senior outside hitter Ashleigh Crutcher led the Terps against the Hawkeyes with 10 kills while sophomore setter Carlotta Oggioni recorded her eighth double-double of the season with 13 assists and 10 digs.
• Crutcher again led Maryland with 12 kills as the Terps battled against the 13th-ranked Huskers.
Scouting the BUCKEYES
• In a double-header with Penn State last week, Ohio State fell, 3-0, in both matches.
• Erin Sekinger leads the Buckeyes and is 14th in the Big Ten with 3.08 kills/s. Taylor Sandbothe is 10th in the conference with an average of 1.10 blocks/s while Taylor Sherwin is eighth on the Big Ten assists list with 9.43 assists/s.
• Head coach Geoff Carlston is in his seventh season with the Buckeyes and has lead Ohio State to four NCAA Tournament appearances.
SCOUTING THE NITTANY LIONS
• Penn State took a pair of matches in straight sets over Ohio State last week. Haleigh Washington was named the Big Ten Player of the Week after leading the team with a .444 hitting percentage and making 16 total blocks (4BS, 12BA).• The Nittany Lions lead the nation in hitting percentage at .346 while holding opponents to a conference-best .152 percentage. Penn State is second in the Big Ten in kills per set (14.54), fourth in assists per set (13.14) and first in service aces per set (1.98).
• Ali Frantti paces Penn State with 3.34 kills per set while Micha Hancock is averaging 11.31 assists/s and 1.00 service aces/s. Washington leads the team with 1.31 blocks/s.
• Head coach Russ Rose is in his 36th season with the Nittany Lions. Rose led Penn State to its fifth national championship in seven years in 2013, and earned his fifth AVCA National Coach of the Year honors.
think b1g
• As a new member of the Big Ten, Maryland enters one of the most talented conferences in the nation. Six Big Ten programs are either ranked or received votes in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll: Wisconsin (4), Penn State (6), Illinois (9), Purdue (12), Nebraska (13) and Ohio State (18).
• 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 (8-10) 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.
packed house
• The Terps have already set three attendance records in seven 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 program history.
• Maryland's home opener against Indiana (10/3) brough 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, the eighth-largest crowd in Maryland history.
• The Terps are currently averaging 1,416 fans in College Park this season.
tough schedule
• The Terps have already set three attendance records in five home matches this season.
• 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. 6 Penn State, No. 9 Illinois, No. 12 Purdue, No. 13 Nebraska and No. 18 Ohio State.
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.
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 seventh in the Big Ten with 259 kills (3.55 kills/s).
• Crutcher has recorded 20+ kills four times this season: 24 at George Mason (9/6), 23 at Northwestern (9/27), 22 vs. Rutgers (9/21) and 20 at Rutgers (9/25).
murray makes splash
• Freshman middle blocker Hailey Murray has found a new gear as the Terps entered Big Ten play.
• Through 12 conference matches, Murray is averaging 1.14 blocks/s, leading the Terps and good for 12th in the Big Ten.
• Murray is averaging 2.16 kills/s in Big Ten play, good for second on the team. She is also 11th in the conference with a .301 hitting percentage.
immediate impact
• Three newcomers to the Terps have made impressions for Maryland.
• Sophomore setter Carlotta Oggioni, a transfer from Oregon State, is currently ranked first on the team and 13th in the Big Ten in assists per set (6.91). 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 1.01 blocks/s and is averaging 1.87 kills/s.
• Freshman defensive specialist Samantha Higginbothem has seen time in all 23 matches and is averaging 1.18 digs/s.
