Maryland volleyball prepares for No. 22 USC and No. 25 UCLA

Photo by Kevin Snyder/Maryland Terrapins. Photo courtesy of Maryland Athletics.

After taking Michigan State to five sets, Maryland volleyball faces a difficult stretch, playing three consecutive ranked opponents. 

Maryland (8-10, 1-7 Big Ten) fell in its match on Sunday against Michigan State (15-3, 5-3 Big Ten) 3-2, despite posting a season-high 21 blocks as a team. A 25-error game for the Terps was the difference-maker in an otherwise back-and-forth contest. 

The Spartans recorded nine service aces, compared to the Terps’ one, and notched 58 kills in the victory. Errors plagued the Terps as a Maryland attacking error decided two of the five set points. Maryland also struggled to contain outside hitter Karolina Staniszewska, as the junior tied a career-high with 19 kills.

The first of Maryland’s three-straight ranked matchups comes on Thursday against No. 22 USC (13-5, 4-4 Big Ten). The Trojans enter play following a 3-1 victory on the road against No. 9 Wisconsin. 

Redshirt sophomore outside hitter London Wijay tied a career-high with a 24-kill performance, earning Big Ten Player of the Week honors for her performance. 

Wijay was consistently set up by freshman setter Reese Messer, who set her own career-high with 47 assists. Messer ranks third in the Big Ten with 687 assists, and has recorded less than 30 assists in a match just once this season. 

The Trojans will also enter the match boasting a strong presence at the service line. Freshman opposite hitter Abigail Mullen ranks second in the Big Ten with 32 service aces. But the Terps have their own service line dealer in senior opposite hitter Ajack Malual, who ranks just one behind Mullen with 31. 

The Terps and the Trojans bring the two best blocking units in the conference, notching 198.5 and 185.5 total blocks, respectively, and Thursday’s contest may come down to the better defensive unit.

Maryland’s top defensive player this season has been middle blocker Duru Gökçen. The sophomore leads the Terps with 92 blocks, while junior middle blocker Eva Rohrbach follows right behind with 91. The two lead the Big Ten in blocks.

After USC, Maryland will stay in California and face No. 25 UCLA (11-7, 5-3 Big Ten) on Saturday. The Bruins enter the matchup after a dominant straight-sets win against Iowa.

Outside hitter Cheridyn Leverette spearheads the offense, ranking eighth in the Big Ten with 244 kills. The senior notched 15 kills in the victory against Iowa and hit at a 40% clip. 

Similar to USC, UCLA boasts a strong defense. The Bruins rank third in the Big Ten in digs with 902 and average 13.67 digs per set — good for second-best in the Big Ten. Sophomore defensive specialist Lola Schumacher leads the defensive unit, ranking third in the conference in digs with 245.

While Maryland has struggled this season in conference play, it has taken both Michigan State and No. 18 Penn State to five sets. If the young team can continue to grow in their play, a tough stretch of ranked opponents could see positive results.