Plenty of playful trash talk goes back and forth between the Maryland volleyball team and select male club volleyball players at training sessions.
When a club player blocks outside hitter Gia Milana’s kill attempt, his teammates often yell, “Beat that, Gia,” or “You can’t do that.” Middle blocker Jada Gardner has seen them scream through the net after big plays, hyping up the Division I team.
The Terps rely on club volleyball players to increase physicality in practice and meet the level of play they face in Big Ten matches, and it’s especially useful during a stretch in which five of their next six matches come against ranked opponents.
“The biggest thing isn’t necessarily that we’re more physical than the top-tier women in the Big Ten,” said Justin Lee, the Maryland volleyball team’s manager. “We’re just more physical than the rest of the players we have on the team. So [manager CJ Leaird] and I are the equivalent of the best women in the Big Ten, so you want to train against the best so when you play them, you’re used to it.”
[Read more: Maryland volleyball struggled to communicate vs. Michigan State]
Maryland coach Steve Aird wants his practices as competitive as possible. He and associate head coach Adam Hughes were practice players early in their careers. Aird said more goes into being a valuable scout team player than just a love of volleyball.
After Hughes compiles film of opponents’ tendencies for the team to study, he discusses with the club players which shots to hit and which players to specifically target.
At times, Lee, who got involved as a freshman, said he and other club players frustrate the girls, but that’s necessary to prepare against some of the top teams in the country. During practices, the club players serve, protect the net and test the Terps’ defense with strong hits. Men’s volleyball teams play on a net several inches higher than women’s squads.
“They’re so big,” Milana said. “Their heads are over the net. Just to prepare me and all the rest of the team for, like, the Wisconsins of the world with this huge [6-foot-8] girl, that stuff is really important.”
Aird said on his first day in College Park he tried to get the club team involved with his program. Since then, he’s helped them find uniforms and supported them when they compete in major tournaments. Most top teams in the country have practice players to aid in training, he said.
Maryland and the club team are also close off the court, as the players feel comfortable talking to each other about anything and go out to eat together.
At Penn State, Aird played for the Nittany Lions’ Division I men’s team. One day, he hopes Maryland introduces a men’s volleyball squad. But in the meantime, he’ll take advantage of the extra help in training while middle blocker Katie Myers, libero Kelsey Wicinski and outside hitter Lexi Alden have battled injuries.
“It’s good to have people in the gym that can recreate some of the stuff that you’re going to see during the year,” Aird said. “They do a lot of things every day that people don’t see that help the program.”
CORRECTION: Due to an editing error, a previous version of this story incorrectly identified Justin Lee as the club volleyball team’s manager. He is the Maryland volleyball team’s manager. This article has been updated.
