Volleyball caps season against Boston College

At this time last week, the Terrapin volleyball team found itself tied for third in the ACC and firmly in contention for an NCAA Tournament bid.

Going into today's match against Boston College though, the Terps find themselves in a much different position. With losses to Florida State and Miami this weekend, the Terps dropped into a three-way tie for fifth in the conference, likely placing them out of postseason contention.

"They played like everything was on the line and we didn't," coach Tim Horsmon said. "I thought we would need to win one if not both matches [last weekend], so I think we would be fortunate at this point to get in."

The Terps (19-12, 10-9 ACC) will be playing for more than just an NCAA Tournament bid against the Eagles (8-24, 0-19), however. A win today would be the 20th of the season, a milestone the Terps haven't reached since the 2005 season, when they won 28 matches.

If the Terps are going to emerge victorious against the Eagles, Horsmon said the team will have to make a choice on what type of team it wants to be. After playing some of their best volleyball of the season two weeks ago against Wake Forest and Duke, the Terps turned in arguably their worst performance of the season, losing to both the Seminoles and Hurricanes in straight sets.

"It's a choice — how our athletes are going to respond and how they are going to perform every day," Horsmon said. "It's a big match. It's the last match of the year, and I would hate to end the year on a losing streak."

A victory over an Eagle team that is winless in conference play may not help the Terps' tournament chances, but Horsmon said the importance of ending the season on a positive note cannot be understated.

"We've had a pretty solid year overall, and we don't want to spend the next eight months thinking about a three-match losing streak," Horsmon said. "It's really important for our kids and our program to finish off a good year with a win."

vitale@umdbk.com