ROSEMONT, Ill. – A pair of Maryland volleyball outside hitters, junior
Erika Pritchard and redshirt sophomore
Jada Gardner were selected as two of 12 Big Ten players to compete in a foreign tour, traveling to Japan in June.
Gardner and Pritchard will head to Japan with the team in June, traveling to travel to Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo from June 14-26, 2019. In addition to competition on the court, the team will have the opportunity to explore Japanese landmarks, study foreign languages and culture with local students and visit some of Japan's most historic sites, including Mt. Fuji, the Gion district, the Fushimi Inari Shrine, the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest and the Philosopher's Walk.
11 of the 14 Big Ten schools have players on the team's roster, with Maryland the only school that had two players selected. This is the third time the Big Ten is sponsoring this foreign tour. Middle blocker Hailey Murray represented the Terps on the first Big Ten team in 2015 before outside hitter Samantha Drechsel competed in Europe in 2017.
Gardner, who missed most of the 2018 season due to injury, notched 91 kills, 64 digs, 25 blocks and five aces in the 12 matches she played in. In her 2017 freshman campaign, Gardner started 22 of the team's 32 matches and tallied 96 kills and 55 blocks.
Pritchard had a standout sophomore campaign in 2018, becoming Maryland's first ever First Team All-Big Ten selection. The sophomore led the Big Ten at 4.32 kills/set and stood 14th nationally in both kills and points (552.5), which stands as the second-best mark in the Big Ten. Pritchard was instrumental to Maryland's program-best nine Big Ten wins, totaling the second most kills ever by a Maryland player with 493 to go with 287 digs, 65 blocks, 22 aces and 18 assists.
Gardner and Pritchard are the second and third Terps that have been announced will play overseas this summer. Redshirt sophomore
Katie Myers will compete with the US Collegiate National Team in Japan this May.
The Big Ten team will be coached by Iowa head coach Bond Shymansky. See below for the full 2019 Big Ten Foreign Tour roster.
| School |
Name |
Position |
| Illinois |
Rylee Hinton |
Middle Blocker/Utility |
| Indiana |
Breanna Edwards |
Outside Hitter |
| Iowa |
Brie Orr |
Setter |
| Maryland |
Jada Gardner |
Outside Hitter/Opposite |
| Maryland |
Erika Pritchard |
Outside Hitter |
| Michigan |
Natalie Smith |
Libero |
| Michigan State |
Naya Gros |
Middle Blocker |
| Northwestern |
Nia Robinson |
Outside Hitter |
| Penn State |
Jenna Hampton |
Middle Blocker |
| Purdue |
Haley Bush |
Setter |
| Wisconsin |
Nicole Shanahan |
Middle Blocker |
| Rutgers |
Vitalia 'Tali' Marmen |
Outside Hitter |
