Weekend Preview: Maryland volleyball hosts No. 11 Purdue and Indiana

Photo courtesy of Ashley Ray/Maryland Terrapins

Maryland volleyball (10-11, 1-9 Big Ten) will face one last ranked opponent to wrap up what will likely be their toughest stretch of the season. Then, the Terps have a crucial three-game stretch at home.

The Terps take on No. 11 Purdue (16-5, 7-3 Big Ten) on Friday at 6:30 p.m. and Indiana (10-10, 3-7 Big Ten) on Saturday at 7 p.m.

After being put through the wringer in recent conference play, facing four ranked teams and two others on the cusp of cracking the top 25, Maryland has one last challenge before facing four opponents placing in the lower half of the conference.

The Terps’ abysmal 1-9 conference record is sorely hurting their RPI ranking (120). Picking up more conference wins in this homestand would do wonders for a Maryland team desperate for success after suffering six straight losses and five straight sweeps from Oct. 11 to Oct. 25.

But first, the Boilermakers visit College Park for the first game in the Pavilion in two weeks.

Purdue is fresh off a decisive 3-0 loss to No. 9 Wisconsin but remains one of the most talented teams in the Big Ten.

The offense ranks in the top five in the conference in kills per set, hitting percentage and assists per set. Its headlined by Eva Hudson, one of only seven players in the Big Ten to average over four kills per set (4.45).

“A lot of teams have maybe one gun, one person that can… score out of system,” coach Adam Hughes said. “Purdue really has two now.”

That second gun is sophomore Chloe Chicoine. The former number-one recruit in the nation is top 20 in the Big Ten in kills per set (3.21). 

Purdue’s offense also features middle blocker Raven Colvin as a solid third option nearing 200 kills on the season (192).

Though Colvin truly shines on the block, leading the Big Ten in blocks per set and anchoring a well-rounded Boilermakers’ defense that places third in blocks per set and first in digs per set.

“I would say there’s probably three factors in how Purdue is wired,” Hughes said. “One, they’re a very well-scouted team… Two, they’ve got some physicality… Raven Colvin is a great example… And then they’re always good with their [defensive specialists] and liberos.”

Based on Purdue’s track record with unranked Big Ten teams this season – the Boilermakers have dropped only four sets in six matches against the bottom eight teams – pulling off an upset will be a tall task for Maryland.

On Saturday, in the second game of their back-to-back, Indiana should prove to be a much more favorable matchup for the Terps.

The Hoosiers sit slightly above Maryland in the bottom eight teams of the conference, marking the most evenly-matched game since playing Rutgers on Oct. 5.

Indiana’s attack is led by one of the most prolific offensive duos in the Big Ten. Candela Alonso-Corcelles and Avry Tatum place twelfth (3.49) and sixteenth (3.33) respectively in the conference in kills per set.

The Hoosiers’ offense ranks in the middle of the pack in most offensive stats, but their porous defense holds them back.

Indiana is bottom three in blocks per set (2.11) and opponents’ hitting percentage (.243). Before the most recent win over Northwestern, the Hoosiers struggled with a string of ranked opponents similar to what Maryland just endured.

Indiana played five straight top-10 Big Ten teams, only managing to claim one set against No. 3 Penn State.

Still, Indiana has won three conference games, taking care of business against the lower eight, while Maryland has only one Big Ten victory.

The Terps cannot afford to take any conference matches lightly, no matter how much more manageable the schedule may seem.