The Maryland volleyball team wore black uniforms in a 3-0 loss to No. 3 Wisconsin on Saturday, but when the Badgers were on the attack, the lone Terp in red made her presence known.
Libero Kelsey Wicinski, who wears a different colored jersey to designate her position, made a team-high 17 digs in the contest and put her body on the line to extend plays multiple times.
After Wisconsin outside hitter Kelli Bates tipped a ball over Maryland’s block in the middle of the second set, Wicinski laid out to dive from the back row to complete a dig. In the third frame, she slid far to her left to redirect a powerful hit that had been fired down the line.
While the Terps have dropped four of their past five games, including matches to No. 2 Minnesota and No. 3 Wisconsin this weekend, Wicinski has been a bright spot. The sophomore was named to four all-tournament teams in nonconference play and leads the Big Ten in digs per set.
“She’s a great person to have on the court,” middle blocker Hailey Murray said. “She’s vocal, she’s supportive and she’s a really important teammate for me.”
Murray said Wicinski has made large strides since she first arrived in College Park last season. After posting 2.93 digs per set a year ago, the defender has recorded 4.84 digs per set this campaign.
This weekend, she notched 28 combined digs against the Badgers and Golden Gophers and made one reception error across the two matches.
Much of Wicinski’s improvement stems from hard work in practice, where coach Steve Aird has emphasized defensive drills. He has preached the importance of having “good eyes” on the court to better react to plays as they unfold.
“It’s really just reading the hands of the blockers,” Wicinski said.
Even though the Geneva, Illinois, native’s start to the season has earned recognition in the form of all-tournament honors, Aird wouldn’t label her a finished product.
Rather than dwelling on her recent success, Aird said she needed to make improvements “across the board” to fulfill her potential.
That attitude is typical of the third-year coach, who often critiques his players to keep them motivated and ensure continued development. He said he has been especially hard on Wicinski because he believes she has the chance to be great.
She’s been receptive to Aird’s advice.
“She’s slowly understanding that the sky is the limit in terms of how good she can become,” Aird said. “And she cares. She’s serious about it, she’s a good kid and she’s going to work hard.”
Even though Wicinski knows she has more work to do, she is happy with her performance this season. Her strong outings against Minnesota and Wisconsin gave her an extra boost of confidence.
“It feels pretty good [to play well against top teams],” Wicinski said. “I was really able to bring up my confidence through all of last year and continue that into this year.”
