For the Terrapins volleyball team’s players and coaches, memories of last season’s finale ran through their minds yesterday as they returned to where it had ended so painfully in 2010. A 3-1 defeat at Boston College last November culminated a three-match losing streak to end the year, spoiling a somewhat successful season for the blossoming Terps.
Not much was different for the Terps yesterday: They were in a funk again, and the Eagles offered a chance to change that as soon as possible.
“This one was on my mind since last year,” coach Tim Horsmon said. “The players wanted to come out and take care of business.”
The Terps (7-6, 1-0 ACC) did just that, sweeping the Eagles for a 3-0 victory and snapping a two-match losing streak. A 25-16 Terps win in the first set preceded the critical moment of the match in the second. After a back-and-forth contest, the Eagles went off on a 4-0 run to take a 21-17 lead. But a decisive block and subsequent kill by outside hitter Mary Cushman sparked a comeback, and the Terps overcame three set points by the Eagles and claimed victory in the set, 27-25.
The Terps then held off a Boston College (4-8, 0-1) rally and took the third set and the match by a score of 25-22.
“It’s the way that you want to start [ACC play],” Horsmon said. “We have teams that we need to beat, and we accomplished that today.”
Among the stars of the match was Cushman, who, after earning all-tournament recognition at the Sports Imports Classic last weekend, got a team-high 12 kills. Defensive specialist Sarah Harper contributed 20 digs. Primary setter Remy McBain also made her presence known in all facets of the match, achieving a 41.7 attack percentage, 27 assists and six digs.
“It was a group effort, but the players will tell you that they could play better,” he said. “Part of that is because we are young. We have freshmen pushed into big roles, and it’s a learning process for all of us to figure it out on the fly. Another part of it is injuries. We’re banged-up right now, and we’re not super deep. We also need to do a better job as a coaching staff at getting players ready.”
The team will need to be as ready as soon as this weekend, when conference foes North Carolina and N.C. State come to College Park. The Tar Heels enter ACC play Friday with an 8-3 overall record. N.C. State, meanwhile, almost dwarfs its state counterpart’s success: The Wolfpack started the season off with a loss, but have since won 12 matches in a row.
“We know we have a big weekend coming up, so it’s up to us to get the players ready for these big matches,” Horsmon said.
munson@umdbk.com
