THE MATCHUPS
Friday, October 12 -- vs. Michigan State, 7:00 p.m.
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Sunday, October 14 -- vs. #13 Michigan, 1:00 p.m. 
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The Maryland volleyball team will play at home on homecoming weekend as the Terps welcome Michigan State and #13 Michigan to the XFINITY Center Pavilion this weekend. Friday night's match against the Spartans will be aired live on BTN with Jason Knapp and Audrey Flaugh on the call.

QUICK HITS
•  Maryland stands at 12-6 overall and 3-3 in Big Ten play. The Terps 3-3 start is the best record the Terps have had through six Big Ten games since Maryland entered the conference in 2014. Maryland has beaten Rutgers twice in straight sets and Ohio State, while losing to ranked foes #3 Minnesota, #9 Penn State and #17 Purdue. 
• Last week, Maryland lost to #9 Penn State before defeating Rutgers for the second time this season. Freshman outside hitter Emma Schriner had her second strong match of the weekend, hitting .583 on eight kills and only one attack error, while also posting four blocks. Sophomore outside hitter Erika Pritchard managed 16 kills and hit .314 while redshirt sophomore middle blocker Katie Myers had five kills, three blocks and two service aces at .625 percent.
• Maryland is led by sophomore outside hitter Erika Pritchard, who has 258 kills, 165 digs and 43 blocks on the season. Pritchard has a double-double in seven of Maryland's 16 matches. 
• Sophomore setter Nicole Alford leads the team with 627 assists this season, at 9.80 per set. Freshman libero Allegra Rivas is first in digs with 293, at 4.58 per set. Redshirt freshman middle blocker Katie Myers leads the team in both blocks (68) and aces (34).

ACES ON ACES
• Recently, Maryland has been on point from the service line, totaling 98 service aces on the season, the fifth most in the conference. 33 of those aces have been during Big Ten play, the fourth most in the conference over that span.
• Katie Myers is first in the Big Ten and 10th in the NCAA in service aces with 0.53 aces/set. In Big Ten play, Maryland has three players in the top-15 of aces/set, with Myers in second at 0.48, junior setter Samantha Snyder in fifth at 0.38 and sophomore defensive specialist/libero Samantha Burgio in 12th at 0.33.

FRESHMAN IMPACT
• Maryland has gotten a lot of contributions from their freshman so far this season, with all three of them playing crucial roles.
• Middle blocker Rainelle Jones, the only freshman committed before the spring has started in all 16 matches and ranks sixth in the conference with 1.19 blocks/set, playing a huge role defensively as well as offensively.
• Libero Allegra Rivas has also started in every match, making huge impact, ranking second in the Big Ten with 4.76 digs/set and earning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors on September 24.
• Outside hitter Emma Schriner stepped into a starting role on the outside as conference play began with an injury to Jada Gardner. This past weekend against No. 9 Penn State and Rutgers, Schriner led the Terps with a combined 17 kills at a .452 clip. 

KATIE ACE. KATIE BLOCK. 
• Redshirt freshman Katie Myers returned to the starting lineup this season after suffering season ending knee injuries in each of the last two seasons. Myers was granted a sixth year of eligibility by the NCAA this spring, giving her three more seasons in College Park. 
• Myers has made an impact. She leads the Big Ten in service aces with 34 (0.53 per set) and leads the Terps in blocks with 68 (1.06 per set). 

EP TIME
• Sophomore outside hitter Erika Pritchard has had an impressive start to her sophomore season. Pritchard is averaging 4.03 kills per set, the fourth best mark in the Big Ten.
• At the Akron Invitational, the sophomore totaled 56 kills and 35 digs, recording a double-double in all three games en route to being named the tournament's MVP. The Middletown, Md. native has a double-double in seven of 12 contests this season. 

RIVAS EARNS BIG TEN HONORS
• After averaging a Big Ten best 6.17 digs per set in her first ever two conference matches, freshman libero Allegra Rivas was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on September 24.
• Rivas tallied 23 digs at No. 7 Minnesota, the most by a player in a three set Big Ten match in two years and the most by a freshman in a three set Big Ten match since Illinois' Brandi Donnelly had 25 against Minnesota on October 1, 2014. The 23 digs were also the most ever by a Maryland player in a three set Big Ten match.
• The Aledo, Texas native now has the most digs per set in the conference through four games of Big Ten play and stands fifth overall with 4.69 digs per set on the season.
• The freshman is the first Maryland player to earn Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors since Ashlyn MacGregor on August 29, 2016. She is also the first Maryland player to earn any Big Ten weekly honor since Erika Pritchard was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week last year on November 27.

SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
• Michigan State, coming off an Elite Eight appearance in 2017, stands at 14-5 this season and  2-4 in Big Ten play with wins over Rutgers and Indiana.
• The Lions are led by Naya Gross who is third in the conference in hitting percentage at .403 and fifth in blocks at 1.36 per set. As a team, the Spartans are strong defensively, ranking third in the conference with 2.85 blocks per set.
• Maryland has never beaten Michigan State, last year falling to the Spartans twice in straight sets. 

SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES
• No. 13 Michigan has had an impressive start to the 2018 season, compiling a 15-2 record, with a 4-2 mark in Big Ten play that includes a win over No. 17 Purdue.
• MacKenzi Welsh leads the Big Ten at 11.54 assists per set, while Jenna Lerg leads the conference with 5.38 digs per set. As a team, Michigan leads the Big Ten with 13.66 assists per set and is second in kills per set at 14.50. Defensively, the Wolverines are holding their opponents to a .147 hitting percentage and are averaging a conference leading 16.43 digs per set.
• Maryland trails the series with Michigan, 10-0, last year falling in four sets when the two met last season in Ann Arbor. Jada Gardner posted nine kills in that match while Samantha Snyder and Abigail Bentz combined for 43 assists.

UP NEXT
Friday, October 19 -- at #17 Purdue, 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, October 21 -- at Indiana, 1:00 p.m.