Terps to Compete in Final Road Weekend
11/16/2016 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
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Illinois (14-13, 7-9 B1G)
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Northwestern (8-20, 1-15 B1G)| opponent capsules | ||
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| ILLINOIS Series vs. Maryland: Illinois leads, 3-0 Last Time Out: Oct. 2, 2016 (Illinois, 3-2) |
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| NORTHWESTERN Series vs. Maryland: Tied, 2-2 Last Time Out: Nov. 28, 2015 (Maryland, 3-0) |
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| Stat Comparison | |||
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| Category | MD | ILL | NU |
| Kills/Set | 12.0 | 12.7 | 11.8 |
| Hitting Pct. | .180 | .243 | .202 |
| Blocks/Set | 2.5 | 2.8 | 2.0 |
| Digs/Set | 12.6 | 13.0 | 12.9 |
| Assists/Set | 11.1 | 12.0 | 11.0 |
| Aces/Set | 1.3 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
| TERP SPOTLIGHT |
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| Next Home Match |
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 Maryland vs. PurdueWednesday, Nov. 23 | 7 p.m. The Terps host Purdue the day before Thanksgiving. The first 50 fans in attendance will receive a Maryland-branded potholder! | TICKETS |
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The Maryland volleyball team (11-17, 3-13 Big Ten) hits the road for the last time this season as the Terps travel to Illinois (14-13, 7-9) and Northwestern (8-20, 1-15) this weekend.
• The Terps take on the Fighting Illini at 8 p.m. on Friday. The match will be live streamed through FightingIllini.com.
• Maryland faces the Wildcats on Saturday at 8 p.m. The match will be live streamed through BTN Plus.
last time out
• The Terps served 13 aces as Maryland defeated Rutgers in three sets last Sunday. Maryland's 13 aces are the most by a Big Ten team in a three-set match this season.
• Sophomore outside hitter Liz Twilley led the Terps with 12 kills while senior middle blocker Ashlyn MacGregor posted four blocks. MacGregor, freshman outside hitter Gia Milana and freshman setter Taylor Smith each served three aces.
milana named b1g freshman of the week
• Freshman outside hitter Gia Milana was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week after averaging 4.4 kills per set in two matches last week.
• In a four-set loss to then-No. 10 Penn State, Milana posted 20 kills while adding 11 digs for her eighth double-double of the season. In a win over Rutgers, Milana notched 11 kills while adding four digs, three blocks and three service aces.
• Milana ranks fourth in the Big Ten with 4.02 kills per set, which also leads conference freshmen. She has hit double-digit kills in all but six matches this season.
Scouting the illinois fighting illini
• The Illini fell to No. 3 Wisconsin and No. 2 Minnesota in straight sets last week. Illinois is currently on a seven-match losing streak.
• Ali Bastianelli currently leads the nation with 1.72 blocks per set. Brandi Donnelly leads the Big Ten with 4.47 digs per set.
• Michelle Strizak leads Illinois with 2.85 kills per set while Jacqueline Quade is averaging 2.84 kills per set. Jordyn Poulter is averaging 10.59 assists per set.
• The Terps narrowly fell to Illinois in five sets in Maryland's Big Ten home opener on Oct. 2.
Scouting the northwestern wildcats
• The Wildcats narrowly fell to No. 2 Wisconsin in five sets before losing to No. 2 Minnesota in three sets. Northwestern is currently on a seven-match losing streak.
• Symone Abbott leads the Wildcats and ranks fifth in the Big Ten with 3.99 kills per set. Taylor Tashima leads Northwestern with 8.82 assists per set and 0.23 service aces per set.
• Katie Kniep is averaging a team-high 3.61 digs per set while Maddie Slater leads the Wildcats with 0.93 blocks per set.
• This is the only meeting between Northwestern and Maryland this season. The teams split their series last season, with the Terps winning in three sets at Northwestern in the season finale.
Milana mania
• Freshman outside hitter Gia Milana, the No. 16 recruit in her class, has made an immediate impact for the Terps.
• A six-rotation player, Milana currently leads the Terps and ranks fourth in the Big Ten with 4.02 kills per set. Milana is also second on the team with 2.30 digs per set.
• In conference games, the Romeo, Mich., native ranks second in the Big Ten with 4.07 kills per set.
• Milana leads the Big Ten freshmen in kills per set and ranks seventh amongst conference newcomers in digs per set.
Macgregor impresses in the middle
• Senior middle blocker Ashlyn MacGregor has stepped up in her final season as a Terp. She currently ranks 16th in the nation with 1.43 blocks per set and is 15th nationally with 143 total blocks. MacGregor is third in the Big Ten in blocks per set and second in total blocks.
• MacGregor made a career-high 14 blocks in the team's win over Sacred Heart (8/27). The Tarpon Springs, Fla., native was named to three all-tournament teams in nonconference play, and was named Maryland's first-ever Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on August 29.
• To read more about MacGregor's rise this season, click here.
wicinski steps up as back-row leader
• Sophomore Kelsey Wicinski, who earned the libero jersey halfway through her freshman season, has stepped up as one of Maryland's defensive leaders.
• The Geneva, Ill., native leads the team and is second in the Big Ten with 4.23 digs per set. She set a new career high with 28 digs vs. Oklahoma (9/16).
• Wicinski was named to all four nonconference all-tournament teams, and was selected as the Maryland Invite MVP.
Terps announce 2017 signing class
• Head coach Steve Aird announced the signing of five stellar athletes to the freshman class of 2017 last week as the Terps welcome their strongest recruiting class in program history.
• Next year's freshmen feature outside hitter Lexi Alden, defensive specialist/libero Sam Burgio, outside/opposite hitter Samantha Drechsel, outside hitter/middle blocker Jada Gardner and outside hitter Erika Pritchard.
• Drechsel, Pritchard and Gardner are the PrepVolleyball's No. 23, No. 29 and No. 68 players in their class, while Alden and Burgio were selected to PrepVolleyball's 'The 150' as some of the nation's top players.
• Burgio is the 2015 New York Gatorade Player of the Year, and Burgio, Drechsel and Pritchard were all named Under Armour All-Americans.
dmv to umd
• The Terps have five players on the roster from the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia): junior middle blocker Hailey Murray (Washington, D.C.), junior defensive specialist Samantha Higginbothem (Middletown, Md.), sophomore outside hitter Liz Twilley (Ijamsville, Md.), freshman defensive specialist Nell Drummey (Silver Spring, Md.) and freshman outside hitter Megan McTigue (Darnestown, Md.).
• The Terrapins feature the last two Maryland Gatorade Players of the Year in Twilley and McTigue.
• Murray, Higginbothem, Drummey and McTigue all played club for Metro American Volleyball Club. McTigue and Drummey were high school teammates at Academy of Holy Cross.
terps face tough road
• Maryland competes in 17 matches against 12 teams ranked in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll this season. All but four of Maryland's conference matches have been played against teams ranked or receiving votes in the AVCA Coaches Poll.
• The Terps take on three of the top-five teams and six of the top-10.
• Seven of Maryland's conference opponents are currently ranked, including No. 1 Nebraska, No. 2 Minnesota, No. 3 Wisconsin, No. 13 Michigan State, No. 15 Penn State, No. 18 Michigan and No. 24 Ohio State.
-Maryland-
