Coach Steve Aird speaks to his players during a time out when the Terps lost in straight sets to Michigan State on Oct. 17, 2014 at the Xfinity Center.
Entering this weekend, the Terrapins volleyball team is riding two victories in back-to-back matches against Rutgers.
The wins kept the Terps out of last place in the Big Ten and pushed the team up to the No. 12 spot in the conference standings.
And Friday, when the Terps host Iowa, they’ll look to extend their win streak against another struggling team before hosting No. 14 Nebraska, a squad on the opposite end of the spectrum. The Hawkeyes, who are one spot beneath the Terps in the Big Ten standings, have won one match in the conference this season. They also possess a winless record on the road.
“Iowa is in a very similar situation to us,” coach Steve Aird said. “First-year head coach, kind of a new program, new feel. But they still have a roster with a majority of kids who were in the Big Ten last year, so they know what they’re doing. It’ll be a match that we’ll have to compete, and when you look at where we both are in the standings, we both have an opportunity to win if we play well.”
Entering this weekend, the Terrapins volleyball team is riding two victories in back-to-back matches against Rutgers.
The wins kept the Terps out of last place in the Big Ten and pushed the team up to the No. 12 spot in the conference standings.
And Friday, when the Terps host Iowa, they’ll look to extend their win streak against another struggling team before hosting No. 14 Nebraska, a squad on the opposite end of the spectrum. The Hawkeyes, who are one spot beneath the Terps in the Big Ten standings, have won one match in the conference this season. They also possess a winless record on the road.
Iowa’s lone win, though, came against Northwestern, which handed the Terps a 3-2 loss earlier this year. The Hawkeyes also pushed then-No. 15 Illinois to five sets this season, and the Terps know a win Friday will come down to their ability to execute.
“Iowa is definitely a match that we can win,” defensive specialist Sam Higginbothem said. “But it’s all on our side. We got to control our errors and stay up and keep our right foot on the gas pedal.”
Nebraska, however, poses a more difficult matchup. At 12-7, the Cornhuskers find themselves firmly planted among the best teams in the nation. But Aird and his players believe Nebraska is not the same team that appeared in the quarterfinals of last year’s NCAA tournament.
“Nebraska is a traditional powerhouse that’s had a few losses this year that are kind of out of character for them,” Aird said. “But that’s because they’ve been so good for so long. By the end of the year, when they figure it out, they’re going to be in the mix.”
Earlier in the year, the Terps spoke about “stealing” matches from teams. They hoped they could play at their highest level against a seemingly superior opponent and walk away with a win against a team that might have underestimated the Big Ten newcomers.
But the Cornhuskers have played well enough to own a record above .500 in overall and conference play, including a pair of wins against teams ranked in the top 25 in the country, leaving Aird uncertain about his team’s ability to scrape out a win.
“Nebraska is a veteran team,” Aird said. “Their level of expectation is to come in and win conference titles and national championships. My gut feeling is they’re improving every match, and it’ll be a tough match.”
This attitude has been consistent among the Terps. Despite a pair of wins after a stretch of 11 losses, the Terps are still hesitant to exhibit confidence.
They’re careful to not get ahead of themselves or let their recent success alter their mindset.
“We want to keep improving,” libero Dani Bozzini said. “The wins aren’t enough for us. We want more. We’re hungry to get better.”
