COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Maryland women's basketball head coach Brenda Frese welcomed graduate transfer Alaysia "Birdy" Styles to the program Monday. 

Styles, a 6-3 forward from San Diego, played three seasons at California. In her junior season, she averaged 8.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and started in 30 games for the Golden Bears.

"We are thrilled to welcome Alaysia to the Maryland family," Frese said. "We have known 'Bird' since we recruited her back in high school. At 6'3" and as a grad transfer she will bring immediate size, depth and maturity into our program right away. She is a versatile player that runs the floor hard and can rebound and score from so many areas. On top of that, she comes from a conference where she has gained a tremendous amount of experience in Pac-12 play.  It has been a long awaited time and we can't wait for her to get here."

Styles will finish the fall semester at Cal, then will come to College Park for the spring 2021 semester. 

Styles helped the Golden Bears to back-to-back 20-win seasons in 2018 and 2019, as well as two NCAA Tournaments and the 2019 NCAA Second Round. Styles averaged 4.6 points and 2.8 boards in her three years at Cal. She owns career highs of 19 points vs. Utah and 10 boards vs. Boston U.

"I am forever in debt to Coach Frese in her everlasting support of me as a player and human being. The decision to finish my collegiate career in College Park is like nothing I'd ever imagined," Styles said. "COVID made the process a bit more interesting, however all it took was one Zoom call to know where I wanted to call my next home. I am thrilled and sincerely grateful for this unreal opportunity and this step into an incredible journey with incredible people. Dreams do come true, and I am entirely honored to share mine with my teammates, coaches, and the City of College Park." 

Styles joins three other commits for the Terrapins in this off season in Taisiya Kozlova, a 6-1 freshman guard from Moscow, Russia, Chloe Bibby, a 6-1 forward/guard transfer from Mississippi State and Katie Benzan, a 5-6 guard graduate transfer from Harvard. They join Angel Reese from Baltimore, the No. 2 overall recruit in the freshman class nationally, as the newest group of Terrapins.

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