Today at Comcast Pavilion, it will be a battle for the cellar.
The Terrapins volleyball team’s matchup with Boston College pits two league members with identical, league-worst 3-16 conference records. Both teams are reeling — the Eagles have won just one match in their last 14, while the Terps have a record 15-match losing streak. But one side will have to win, and the winner will avoid the fate of finishing last in the ACC.
Boston College (7-23, 3-16 ACC) has a little streak of its own, having lost 10 matches in a row. On paper, the Eagles may give the Terps (9-22, 3-16 ACC) the best opportunity to finally put an end to an inglorious run and end a sour season on a sweet note. Boston College’s rankings in the conference, both offensively and defensively, are abysmal — the Eagles are last in the ACC in hitting percentage, blocks, kills and assists, and are second to last in opponents’ hitting percentage. Of course, the team in last in that category is the Terps.
So if the Terps have any shot to prepare for the next campaign with a clean slate, this is it.
“Considering our streak, I think it’s important for the next year’s team to stop our streak now so that we can focus on winning next season,” said outside hitter Maddi Lee, who will play her last match of her collegiate career against the Eagles. “So our focus for this match is winning. I would like to go out in my last game with a win.”
This match will be the final one for Lee and senior setter Sharon Strizak. Lee has tallied 267 kills over the course of the season and has had 955 in her four years in a Terps uniform. Strizak, who has competed in just 14 sets this season due to a lingering hip injury, may see time on the court today. The setter has played in the last two matches.
“Sharon’s worked hard all four years of being here, so she earned that opportunity,” coach Tim Horsmon said of Strizak’s Sunday appearance in the team’s senior day loss to Wake Forest.
The Terps also have a little bit of history on their side, having defeated the Eagles in four of their past five meetings, including a sweep on the road in September.
munson@umdbk.com
