Terps Travel to Seattle for Pac-12/Big Ten Showcase
9/17/2014 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Maryland volleyball team (7-2) travels to Seattle for the inaugural Pac-12/Big Ten Showcase this week. The Terps will face off against two powerhouses as they play No. 5 Washington (9-0) Thursday at 11 p.m. ET and No. 10 USC Friday at 8:30 p.m. ET. Both matches will be broadcast on the Pac-12 Network.
LAST TIME OUT
• Maryland (7-2) competed in the Black & Gold Challenge last weekend in Boone, N.C. The Terps fell in five sets to Radford (24-26, 25-21, 23-25, 25-22, 11-15) before rallying to defeat Georgia State in three (25-19, 25-20, 25-19). Maryland finished the weekend with a loss to Appalachian State (25-18, 25-23, 25-18).
• Freshman middle blocker Hailey Murray was named to the all-tournament team after notching 23 total kills over the weekend. Murray is averaging 1.69 kills per set on the year.
SCOUTING THE HUSKIES
• No. 5 Washington is 9-0 on the season coming into its match with the Terps. The Huskies hosted and won the Invitational in Seattle last weekend after defeating Seattle, UC Davis and UNLV.
• The Huskies are ranked first in the nation in hitting percentage (.372) and are at the top of the Pac-12 in blocks (2.87 b/s).
• Junior middle blocker Lianna Sybeldon is ranked fourth nationally with 1.77 blocks/s. Senior outside hitter Krista Vansant leads the Huskies' attack with 4.27 kills/s on .430 hitting percentage.
• Vansant is the reigning Honda Award winner, AVCA National Player of the Year and Pac-12 Player of the Year.
• Head coach Jim McLaughlin is in his 13th season with the Huskies and has taken the team to 12 consecutive NCAA tournaments. McLaughlin holds a 333-87 record at Washington and is the reigning Pac-12 Coach of the Year.
SCOUTING THE TROJANS
• No. 10 USC stumbled last weekend, dropping a five-set match to Texas A&M before falling to then-No. 10 Florida in straight sets at the USC Classic. The Trojans are now 6-2 on the season.
• Junior outside hitter Samantha Bricio leads the Trojans offensively with 3.37 kills/s. Sophomore libero Taylor Whittingham leads the team with 3.92 digs/s while junior middle blocker Alicia Ogoms has 1.14 blocks/s.
• USC returns the 2013 AVCA Freshman of the Year in outside hitter Ebony Nwanebu.
• The Trojans are led by head coach Mick Haley, in his 14th year with USC. The Trojans have gone to the NCAA tournament in each season under Haley and have made it to the regional finals in the past four years.
IMMEDIATE IMPACT
• Three newcomers to the Terps have made impressions for Maryland through the nonconference slate.
• Sophomore setter Carlotta Oggioni, a transfer from Oregon State, is currently ranked first on the team and eighth in the Big Ten in assists per set (10.22). An immediate starter for the Terps, Oggioni is also third on the team with 2.44 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 last weekend. Murray is second on the Terps with 0.75 blocks/s and is averaging 1.69 kills/s.
• Freshman defensive specialist Samantha Higgenbothem has seen time in all nine matches and is averaging 1.47 digs/s.
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION
• Although Maryland is not scheduled to play a home match until Oct. 3, the program is excited to be hosting matches at three different facilities this season: the XFINITY Center Pavilion (primary), the XFINITY Center main court (first time since 2010) and Ritchie Coliseum (first time since 2002).
• The Terps will play Rutgers in Ritchie Coliseum on Oct. 21, in a nationally televised match on the Big Ten Network.
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.
• Two of the matches include a road trip to Seattle to face No. 5 Washington and No. 10 USC.
• As a new member of the Big Ten, Maryland enters one of the most talented conferences in the nation. The Terps will also play a pair of matches against No. 3 Penn State, No. 9 Nebraska, No. 11 Purdue and No. 17 Minnesota.
A NEW ERA
• The University of Maryland joined arguably the best volleyball conference in the nation by joining the Big Ten over the summer.
• The Big Ten boasts six teams (Penn State, Wisconsin, Purdue, Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan State) in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll and one team receiving votes (Northwestern).
FAST START
• In his first season with the Terps, head coach Steve Aird has the team off to its best start since 2005, including a 6-0 run to start his first year.
• Prior to arriving in College Park, Aird helped Penn State to its sixth national title as an assistant coach.
• Aird won a pair of national titles in two stints with Penn State while also working at Auburn and Cincinnati.
• Aird completed his staff by hiring assistant coaches Adam Hughes and Kristin Kenney and Stephen Yates as the director of volleyball operations.
FAST START
• 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.
-Maryland-
