Maryland volleyball set a program record for single-game attendance last season when 1,752 fans watched the team take on Illinois at Xfinity Pavilion in September 2015.
That mark, along with an upward trend in overall attendance for the Terps since joining the Big Ten in 2014, is meaningful to coach Steve Aird. He has preached the importance of gaining more support from the local community to help the team play better at home.
This weekend, the Terps drew more than 750 fans in straight set wins over Eastern Michigan and Sacred Heart. Aird said he believes the early season crowds were smaller than they will be during conference play, but he added that the difference between fan enthusiasm when he took over the team two years ago and the Maryland Invite was like “night and day.”
“The crowd of the last couple of days was fairly thin relative to what it’s going to be,” Aird said. “There’s a lot going on opening weekend with people moving in and a lot of family and school stuff.”
Even so, there were moments when Xfinity Pavilion erupted. Saturday evening, for example, people donning Maryland attire stood to cheer as starting lineups were announced.
Early on against Sacred Heart, many fans rose to their feet again as the Terps began the match with three straight blocks. Maryland won the next point, too, forcing the Pioneers to call a quick timeout.
The Terps registered 18.5 team blocks in the match compared to Sacred Heart’s 9.5. Middle blocker Ashlyn MacGregor recorded a career-high 14 blocks in the win, a performance that helped her become the first player in program history to earn Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week.
After the Sacred Heart game, which capped an undefeated weekend for the Terps, Aird took time to shake the hands of supporters who had waited while he spoke with his team. He hopes the Terps can continue to foster a close relationship with the fans in order to build a strong home-court advantage.
In addition, Aird believes the Terps’ improved play will help generate interest in the squad.
“We expect to be sold out and have big crowds going forward,” Aird said. “I think the product is getting better, and the product is becoming worthy of people coming out and seeing it.”
