The Terrapins volleyball team, stuck in a logjam in the middle of the ACC, knows that its trips down south to play Georgia Tech and Clemson this weekend will test just where it stands in the conference.
What's novel about the experience is that the Terps will learn whether it was a success or a failure in a span of just 24 hours.
"We're still inconsistent," coach Tim Horsmon said. "It will be good to take some matches on the road and see where we stand at this point."
After the Terps (9-8, 3-2 ACC) play Georgia Tech in Atlanta tonight, they will face the Tigers in Clemson tomorrow night. Although it's just a two-hour drive between the two universities, it is the first time this season that the Terps will have back-to-back matches in different locations.
Each place he and his team goes, Horsmon will face a squad not unlike his own. While the Yellow Jackets have a less than impressive conference record of 1-4, they do have an 8-7 overall record and have had a season comparable to the Terps' so far. The Tigers (11-5, 3-2), who are tied with the Terps for fourth in the ACC, also have an opportunity to keep ascending toward a top-tier position in the ACC this weekend.
"They both have been traditionally good programs, and they play well and want to win on their home court," Horsmon said. "We'll just have to see how we handle it."
The Terps did not have the greatest start to their season on the road in the Comcast Lady Vol Classic in Knoxville, where they dropped three matches to Villanova, Ohio and Tennessee. Their only other road experience so far this season came in the Sports Imports Classic at Ohio State, where they won one of three matches, and in their first ACC match — and victory — at Boston College.
The Terps' season-long results on the court haven't been any more predictable. The team hasn't had a streak of more than two wins or losses since the beginning of the season, when the Terps lost three matches in a row before answering with a four-match winning streak. Since then, it has been hard to tell when a defining moment in the season will materialize.
"For us to take the next step, to become a top-tier team, we have to be more consistent, and move beyond that 10-10 record," Horsmon said, alluding to his team's conference record last year.
"This weekend is going to be the biggest weekend of our season so far," primary setter Remy McBain said, "just like every other weekend [has been],"
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