After Maryland volleyball opposite hitter Angel Gaskin finished brunch Saturday, she walked with teammates along the beach. She then went on her first-ever Ferris wheel ride and admired the Santa Monica, California, skyline.
That night, she enjoyed a team dinner at a waterfront restaurant that served fish and chips, salmon and steak.
Gaskin said the “awesome” day off, which coach Steve Aird gave the team following last week’s Pac-12 Challenge, allowed her to build chemistry with teammates in an off-court setting.
The Terps will try to translate that team-building experience onto the court as they start Big Ten play with matches at No. 2 Minnesota and No. 3 Wisconsin this weekend.
“You play hard when you care about the people you play with,” Aird said. “I want the kids to work really hard, but I certainly want them to become good friends and be a group of people that want to get the same things accomplished.”
Throughout the Terps’ nonconference schedule, Aird placed his inexperienced team in difficult environments to help prepare the players for Big Ten competition. In the Pac-12 Challenge, the squad played No. 4 Washington and No. 21 Southern California.
Overall, Maryland has faced three top 25 teams and finished its nonconference slate with a nine-game road trip. The team failed to stage an upset over a ranked opponent, but the players said their experiences in those games will provide them with a confidence boost against the Badgers and Golden Gophers.
“We want to play the best teams,” Gaskin said. “We go in having the belief that we’re the best too, because you can’t be intimidated by other teams.”
The Terps did beat Oklahoma, a win Aird pointed to as the program’s best all-around performance of the season.
Beating the Sooners, Aird said, gave the Terps an example of how to beat a quality opponent. They now understand that a well-rounded attack — instead of strictly relying on outside hitter Gia Milana, who leads the team in kills — makes them harder to defend.
“If it’s a one-player thing, people can shut you down,” Aird said. “We need contributions from everyone.”
At the net, one of the key positional battles for Maryland this weekend will be at the net, as the Gophers and Badgers rank first and second, respectively, in blocks per set for the Big Ten.
Middle blocker Ashlyn MacGregor, the conference leader in individual blocks per set, said quick ball movement would be essential for the Terps to create gaps in their opponents’ defenses.
Still, Aird acknowledged “blocks will happen” during what he called the hardest road trip in the Big Ten right now. But after challenging his team this month to prepare for the start of conference action, he said he’s looking forward to seeing how this weekend unfolds.
His players are excited, too.
“It’s the first week of conference play and now we’re in the start of the actual season,” Gaskin said. “Everything that we’ve been working toward is going to show starting this weekend.”
