COLLEGE PARK, Md. – In the team's second season in the Big Ten and under head coach Steve Aird, the Maryland volleyball team is ready to take the next step toward becoming an elite program.
“We're excited about year two,” Aird said. “I think the team is better. Our goal is to be competitive in matches and to play at a high level and to represent the school and the state the right way. I think the girls have embraced what I'm asking them to do.”
Aird, who won two national championships with Penn State, set the foundation in 2014 for the Terps' adjustment to arguably the most difficult volleyball conference in the nation. With the team having experienced the caliber of the Big Ten and ready to do what it takes to improve, Maryland is looking to make more waves in 2015.
“For the girls, last year was their first time to go around the Big Ten and get exposure playing in front of 5,000 people or more and seeing the game at the highest level the country has to offer,” Aird said. “My staff and I have been here for 16 months and we've definitely seen some changes. The team has embraced the lifestyle, the 365 days of year pursuit that is playing volleyball in this conference.”
The Terps, who did not play a match at home until Big Ten play last season, kick off the season with the Maryland Invite Friday and Saturday. Maryland will compete in four nonconference tournaments this season, capped with the Oklahoma Invitational Sept. 17-18.
Maryland will play 16 matches against teams that were either ranked or received votes in the preseason AVCA Coaches Poll. The Terps will take on defending national champions and top-ranked Penn State twice this year. Nine Big Ten teams are ranked in the poll, including T-No. 5 Nebraska and Wisconsin and No. 8 Illinois.
“In the Big Ten, volleyball's the show,” Aird said. “Going into this year, there's eight teams in the top 25. It's far and away, if not the most competitive conference in the county, right up there. We're excited to go out and compete this season and play at a higher level than we did last year.”
OUTSIDE HITTERSThe Terps have a mix of experience and new talent in their second year in the Big Ten. Senior co-captain
Emily Fraik will lead the outside hitters as the only hitter on the roster with Big Ten experience. Fraik was second on the team with 228 kills in 2014. Maryland will also return
Adreené Elliott in 2015 to bring skill and power to the roster. The redshirt senior, a 2014 All-ACC Third Team selection, was averaging 3.93 kills per set before suffering a season-ending injury last year.
Two freshmen will likely be important factors for the Terps this season. Liz Twilley, a native of Ijamsville, Md., was named the 2015 Maryland Gatorade Player of the Year. Angel Gaskin is the roster's only opposite hitter, providing another facet to Maryland's offense.
MIDDLE BLOCKERS
Maryland returns a strong core of middle blockers from last season. Sophomore Hailey Murray led the team with 117 total blocks and 0.99 blocks per set in 2014. After travelling with the Big Ten Foreign Tour this summer, Murray will look to bring more maturity to the team this season.
Junior Ashlyn MacGregor, who ranked in the top 25 in blocks as a freshman, is another returning starter in the middle and senior Kelsey Hrebenach provides depth at the position.
SETTERSWith the addition of freshman
Abby Bentz, the Terps have considerable depth at setting. Juniors
Whitney Craigo and
Carlotta Oggioni shared setting duty in 2014 as Maryland ran a 6-2 formation.
Oggioni brings a high volleyball IQ to the Terps as both her parents played professionally in Italy. Craigo brings versatility in multiple situations and Bentz has emerged as one of the team's top servers.
DEFENSIVE SPECIALISTS/LIBEROSOne of the Terps' deepest positions, the defensive end of the court is led by senior co-captain and three-year starter
Amy Dion.
Freshman Kelsey Wicinski, an all-state and all-conference performer from Geneva, Ill., will compete for playing time in her first season. Senior Dani Bozzini and Samantha Higginbothem both played in important sets in 2014 and provide depth to both the defense and the serving corps.
-Maryland-
