The Terrapin volleyball team’s mission last weekend was to pull itself out of a downward spiral to prepare for ACC play.

Now, after two straight wins, the momentum has shifted – the Terps (4-8) just have to keep it that way.

The Terps will try to extend their first multi-game winning streak of the year in their ACC opener against Boston College (6-6) at 7 tonight at the Comcast Pavilion and prove that consistency for the team is not too far away.

“I think it was great to end the preseason with wins and jump right into Boston College tomorrow,” setter Rachel Profit said. “We’re ready. We saw what we need to do. It definitely boosted our confidence.”

Often this season, the Terps have seen leads slip away or have had an initial good showing at a tournament before faltering.

“We’re still trying to have two or three great days, even two or three great practices strung together,” coach Tim Horsmon said. “We haven’t achieved a consistency yet that we need for our program to compete with the better teams in the country. That’s what we’re trying to do.”

The team was swept 3-0 by Towson last Friday but did not lose its energy, as the Terps had after losses earlier in the year. They managed their first winning weekend of the year by beating Lehigh in five sets, then 14-2 North Dakota in four.

“We got some wins under our belts that we really needed,” middle blocker Lisa Scott said. “We’re happy that in points of both of those games that we were down none of us quit and we worked hard. We stuck with it, unlike other times this season.”

The Terps want to prove that their early struggles were a result of growing pains and adjusting to a new coach and a new system. Now that the Terps have learned to compete together and developed a routine, they believe their momentum will continue to build and their winning streak from this weekend will prove more than a fluke.

Scott is an example of their new plan in action. She is one of three players to have participated in every game this season, bringing the consistency the team desperately strives to achieve. She leads the team with 50 blocks.

“I’m continuing to learn, and I just want to get better through the rest of the season,” she said.

If other players can continue to follow Scott’s lead and put effort into every match in which they play, Horsmon believes the season is headed in the right direction.

“We ask 100 percent of every player, every day,” Horsmon said. “We’re just looking forward, trying to get better every day, in every practice. This semester is about us building a program. Every single day, we’re going to work on the basics and try to get better. As they get more comfortable with what we’re asking them to do and get into their roles, we’ll keep improving.”

Scott boiled down the team’s goals for tomorrow to the simplest terms.

“I just want to start the ACC out right with a win tomorrow,” Scott said.

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