As Maryland volleyball prepares for its final nonconference tournament this season, the Terps grapple with facing three opponents in a short span of time.
When playing Princeton, Temple, and New Hampshire over two days this weekend, Maryland must adjust its approach for each match. The Terps also rely heavily on newcomers and are adapting to a new offensive system.
As coach Adam Hughes game plans, he tries to strike a balance between playing to his young team’s strengths while striving to neutralize their opponents’ strong suits.
“We’re focused on seeing what other teams do and seeing if we can integrate it into our practice. It’s a little bit tricky, because you can’t prepare for one style of play,” Hughes said, “so we kind of have to mix and match what we do.”
[Read more: Despite a 2-win weekend, Maryland volleyball’s hitting has room for improvement]
Hughes added that while he tries to keep his gameplan fresh, it is difficult to surprise opponents on the court.
“In our sport, everybody has the film,” Hughes said. “There is no hiding anything, so everybody is going to know what you’re good at and what you’re not so good at.”
Despite offering the opposition a glimpse at how the Terps play, the wealth of information available has been a key to the team’s success. Studying tape has allowed Maryland’s young players to transition more smoothly to the college game, facing fewer surprises in matches. It also allows the Terps to highlight certain areas of their opponents’ play.
[Read more: Maryland volleyball closes weekend with sweep of Liberty]
So far this season, Maryland has played to its strengths well. The Terps been particularly adept at solid blocking and clean hitting, powering their 7-2 start to the year.
“I think we’re just trying to limit errors and play to our higher standard,” middle blocker Katie Myers said. “Just keeping it consistent.”
The Terps were beleaguered against the Colgate and Liberty games last weekend with relatively inefficient hitting performances, but ahead of the Temple Invite, they don’t anticipate those same miscues continuing.
“We know we didn’t play our best, but we can use that as an example to improve from,” middle blocker Jada Gardner said.
The day after a tournament, what Hughes calls “corrective days,” the team watches film and identifies areas to focus on during practices that week. During those sessions, Maryland splits its attention on how to improve its own play while keying in on the tendencies of its opponents.
“You spend a little bit of time trying to fix yourself and then you try to spend a little bit of time preparing for those other styles of play,” Hughes said. “Once you hit Big Ten season, everyone seems to know who you are, so we’re trying to add some wrinkles.”
