THE MATCHUP
Saturday, September 22 -- at #7 Minnesota, 7:30 p.m (ET).
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The Maryland volleyball team will face their first Big Ten road test as the Terps travel to #7 Minnesota on Saturday night.  

QUICK HITS
• Maryland stands at 10-3 overall and 1-0 in Big Ten play. The Terps started their conference slate with a straight-set win over Rutgers on Wednesday night, behind a complete team performance that featured seven kills, three aces and two blocks from redshirt sophomore Katie Myers, 
• The Terps went 9-3 in nonconference play, winning eight of the 12 matches in straight sets. Maryland won three of the four nonconference tournaments they competed in, the Wake Forest/UNCG Tournament, the Akron Invite and the Cherry & White Challenge. 
• Maryland is led by sophomore outside hitter Erika Pritchard, who has 196 kills, 125 digs and 32 blocks on the season. Pritchard has a double-double in seven of the 13 matches to start the season and was named the Akron Invitational MVP after totaling 56 kills and 35 digs that weekend. 
• In the Terps last weekend of nonconference season, the Terps went 2-1 at the Cherry & White Challenge up at Temple. Freshman middle blocker Rainelle Jones was named the MVP of the tournament after hitting .425 with 22 kills and nine blocks. Freshman libero Allegra Rivas was also named to the All-Tournament Team after totaling 62 digs (5.64 per set), including 32 in the Princeton match, the most by a Terp since Sarah Harper had 34 against UMKC on September 6, 2013.
• Sophomore setter Nicole Alford leads the team with 472 assists this season, at 10.26 per set. Rivas is first in digs with 207, at 4.50 per set. Redshirt sophomore Katie Myers leads the team in both blocks (50) and aces (27).

ROAD WARRIORS
• The Terps are 4-0 in true road games this season, tying #8 Illinois and Indiana for the best marks in the Big Ten. Maryland has beaten Wake Forest, UNC Greensboro, Akron and Temple, all in straight-sets, in the opposing team's home arena this season. This weekend's matchup with #7 Minnesota will be the first for the Terps on the road against a top-25 team. 

KATIE ACE. KATIE BLOCK. 
• Redshirt sophomore 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. 
• In her first few weeks back, Myers has made an impact. She leads the Big Ten in service aces with 27 (0.59 per set) and ranks in the top 15 and leads the Terps in blocks with 50 (1.09 per set). 

EP TIME
• Sophomore outside hitter Erika Pritchard has had an impressive start to her sophomore season. Pritchard is averaging 4.26 kills per set, the third 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. 

BIG TEN RESET
• With Big Ten Play beginning this week, the conference has six teams in the AVCA Coaches Poll Top 25, including four, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois, in the top 10, the most of any conference. Maryland will play Illinois, Michigan, Purdue, Ohio State, Minnesota, Iowa and Rutgers two times this season. 

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN GOPHERS
• Minnesota, the seventh ranked team in the country, stands at 7-2 this season and is also 1-0 in the Big Ten. The Gophers opened up conference play, like the Terps with a three-set victory, their's over #4 Penn State. The Gophers also have wins over Florida State and North Carolina, while their two losses are to #2 Stanford and #12 Oregon. Last season, the Golden Gophers made it to the Sweet 16 before falling to USC.
• The Gophers are led by Stephanie Samedy who has 101 kills, 70 digs and 27 blocks on the season. Minnesota ranks second in the Big Ten in hitting percentage, kills and digs. 
• Maryland has never beaten Minnesota, trailing the all-time series 10-0. The Terps fell in three tightly contested sets last season when they traveled to Minneapolis. Pritchard tallied 10 kills for the Terps.
 
UP NEXT
Wednesday, September 26 -- vs. #16 Purdue, 7:000 p.m.