Everything the Terrapin volleyball team needs this year is everything it lacked in the last: consistency.
With three senior leaders and a new head coach, the Terps will try to rid themselves of the Jekyll and Hyde performances that plagued them in 2007 and instead earn an NCAA berth.
“Consistency starts with coming into practice every day and having the right mentality and work ethic,” coach Tim Horsmon said of his inherited team. “Once we get there, I think you’ll start to see the results of our hard work both on and off the court.”
While the Terps had a winning record last season, 18-13, they were only 10-12 in ACC play; won only seven games on the road; and had a constantly changing lineup because of injury and inexperience.
For every highlight, such as the fierce attacks that earned sophomore outside hitter Michelle Kenning a spot on the All-ACC Freshmen Team, there was a disappointment, such as senior Meredith Doyle’s struggles at middle blocker.
But after a rebuilding year, the team is ready to prove itself a national contender again, despite being picked to finish seventh out of 12 teams in the ACC preseason poll.
The team lost only two seniors to graduation, and senior starting setter Tedi Doucet has recovered from a foot injury that took her out for part of last season. She and senior hitters Maggie Schmelzle and Mary Beth Brown, a preseason All-ACC selection, should lead the team and bring experience and continuity to the court.
Kenning is also back and led the team in kills in each of its first three games, proving her attacks are as sharp as ever.
“There’s really solid talent on the team this year that should really help us win this season,” Horsmon said.
The plus side of last season’s shuffling was many players gained experience, and this season are improved enough to become full-fledged starters, including libero sophomore Bethany Springer and junior middle blocker Katie Usher. If the rotations stay healthy, players’ reliability on the court should be the least of the Terps’ worries.
If consistency is the key, though, a coaching change may not be what first comes to mind.
After last season, the team said goodbye to legendary coach Janice Kruger, who led the program for 20 years, and hello to Horsmon, who has eight career NCAA tournament appearances in nine years as the head coach of Dayton and Robert Morris.
Horsmon has been working to keep the team together and moving forward, building on the foundations set last year while infusing his own style of coaching and playing.
“We’re looking forward to some good, positive changes for the program,” Brown said.
Because of this view, there is pressure on the team to exceed last year’s results and to be a force in the ACC. How steep Horsmon’s learning curve will be remains to be seen.
“I think we have the players in the program right now to make the program as good as we want to be,” Horsmon said. “Once we gain some confidence in the foundational stuff, I think we’ll be ready to face the ACC head on.”
But already losing two of their first three matches, all on the road, puts increased importance on the Terps’ accumulation of wins and road acumen in the next few weeks to prepare for this unbalanced schedule. A brutal stretch of five road matches to end the season could make or break their season, hinging on their ability to win on the road.
“Our expectations and goals every year [are] to win the ACC and play in the NCAA tournament and see how far we can go,” Horsmon said. “I’m not sure how long it will take, but we’re hoping to get ready for these expectations sooner rather than later.”
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