Maryland volleyball coach Steve Aird admitted in a preseason press conference on Aug. 30 it was unlikely his team, which features 10 underclassmen, could exceed last year’s 15-19 record.
The Terps started the season by winning seven of their first nine games. They displayed the kind of match-to-match growth their coach requested.
But their fortunes changed during a recent six-game stretch in which Maryland visited four states and faced three top-5 programs. The team dropped five of those six contests. Its most recent loss came in straight sets Wednesday against Iowa, a team the Terps beat twice last season.
After playing on the road for the past month, Aird hopes the return to College Park will help the Terps (8-7, 0-3 Big Ten) get back into the win column against No. 24 Illinois (9-5, 2-1).
“I don’t know if it’s because we’ve been on the road for 12 matches … but we didn’t play great [against Iowa],” Aird said. “The turnaround was quick, so I don’t know if I could do a good enough job of preparing them.”
The same freshmen who exceeded expectations earlier in the season struggled in Big Ten road games at No. 2 Minnesota, No. 3 Wisconsin and Iowa. Outside hitter Gia Milana — the Terps’ kills leader — made a team-high 24 attacking errors in those matches.
Setter Taylor Smith, who earned praise from Aird for her passing performance in Maryland’s win over Oklahoma on Sept. 16., lost her starting role after struggling over the weekend against Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Aird started senior setter Whitney Craigo over her against Iowa on Wednesday. He still believes the freshman “is going to be a really good player” but felt she didn’t have the experience necessary to handle the tough road environments she encountered this past week.
“You have to be able to execute, you have to be tough and you have to travel and play well on the road,” Aird said. “That’s the nature of the Big Ten.”
Outside hitter Liz Twilley, who notched six kills against the Hawkeyes, said being supportive to her struggling teammates has been important. As one of four sophomores going through conference play for a second time, she’s used last year’s experiences to help guide younger players through their first season with the program.
“We let them know that we have their backs … to keep their confidence up,” Twilley said. “That’s what we have to do for them. We have to be there.”
The Terps failed to find success in their first three Big Ten matches, but Aird noted they have 17 remaining conference games this season. If players refocus, he said, they can turn the season around.
Their first opportunity comes against the Fighting Illini on Sunday.
“Just being back in our own area and our own gym is going to be exciting,” Twilley said. “Hopefully we can put together a great match.”
