On Oct. 9, the Terrapins volleyball team lost at home to then-No. 11 Minnesota in a three-set sweep. The Terps will travel to Minneapolis on Wednesday for a rematch with the Golden Gophers, who have soared in the rankings since.
After sweeping former No. 1 Penn State at home, Minnesota now sits atop the Big Ten standings and is ranked No. 3 in the country. The Golden Gophers boast the nation’s top RPI, while the Terps have the 104th best. The Terps will try to slow Minnesota’s 14-game winning streak, but history isn’t on the Terps’ side. They are 0-6 all-time against the Golden Gophers, and Minnesota is 11-0 at home this year.
“Minnesota is one of the top teams in the country,” coach Steve Aird said. “They’re really, really good. They’re having a pretty special year.”
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A young Terps squad will be tasked with stopping a stellar attack powered by Minnesota outside hitter Daly Santana, who leads the Big Ten with 430 kills — nearly 200 more than the next person on the team.
Minnesota setter Samantha Seliger-Swenson will also pose a problem for the Terps. The freshman averages 11.38 assists per set, second best in the Big Ten.
“The speed they run their stuff,” Aird said. “If it’s off the net or if it’s not a perfect pass, they’re firing balls all over the place. Their hitters do a great job of managing the sets. So even if it’s not perfect, they’re very low-error.”
Instead of worrying about the Golden Gophers attack, Aird has had his team focus on their side of the net. He wants to make Minnesota earn its points by limiting the errors on passes and digs.
“I want us to play each point compartmentalized,” Aird said. “You can grind and you can find points. Just execute and keep getting better.”
One area the Terps do feel they have an advantage over the Golden Gophers lies with serving. The Terps currently lead the conference in aces with 152, while the Golden Gophers are fifth with 114.
“We have to serve the ball really aggressively,” Aird said. “What can we control? Serving is a big part of it. If we serve the ball tough, and they’re out of system, we have a better opportunity to score some points.”
For libero Dani Bozzini, the midweek bout with Minnesota offers the Terps a glimpse at what the future of their program could be. The Golden Gophers made the NCAA tournament every year from 1999 to 2013 while the Terps haven’t reached the tournament since 2005.
“We’re building our program, and they’ve built their program,” Bozzini said. “They just know what it takes, and they do it every day.”