Janice Kruger was still playing volleyball for the University of Nebraska while Andy Banachowski was in his first few years as head coach at UCLA. Now Kruger, in her 19th year as a head coach, will try to lead her Terrapin volleyball team against Banachowski, in his 40th year at UCLA.
The No. 3-ranked Bruins are the highest-ranked team to ever come into College Park. Banachowski, the face of the program, is the only coach with over 1,000 wins in NCAA women’s volleyball history.
The Bruins and Terps join Long Island and Florida International in the Hilton Garden Inn Greenbelt Invitational at the Comcast Center Pavilion this weekend. While the Blackbirds and Golden Panthers are formidable opponents, Kruger knows the real challenge of the weekend is the Bruins.
“They are above us,” Kruger said. “We will have to play our best.”
This weekend’s tournament marks the home opener for the Terps, and the players seem to be excited about sleeping in their own beds and being around friends and family. The past two weekends have been spent in Bloomington, Ind., and Long Island, N.Y., respectively.
“It feels good to be home,” said Kruger.
The Golden Panthers should provide another good test for the Terps. They have gone 7-2, and haven’t lost to an unranked opponent. Freshman outside hitter Yarimar Rosa and setter Keila Oliveira are two of the top individual players in the tournament.
The Blackbirds are coming off an NCAA tournament appearance last year, but they have lost several key players and are off to a slow start (6-4). Both teams are somewhat unknown commodities to the Terps, though they plan to prepare for the games like any other.
The Terps have high hopes for the tournament, specifically the marquee match-up against the Bruins. Though the team is not ready to declare victory over one of the nation’s top teams, Kruger acknowledges that the Terps should be able to hang with the Bruins.
“Anything’s possible,” she said.
Contact reporter Adi Joseph at sports@dbk.umd.edu.
