Volleyball enters home tournament looking for breakthrough

The beginning of regular-season play for the Terrapins volleyball team hardly went according to plan last weekend. Competing in the Comcast Lady Vol Classic in Knoxville, Tenn., the team went winless, falling to Villanova and then Ohio and No. 24 Tennessee.

But what might have hurt most was how close the Terps came to two wins. Against Ohio, they claimed the third and fourth sets to knot up the match before faltering in the fifth and final set. Their fortunes were reversed against the Volunteers, even if the outcome wasn't. The Terps came out roaring, winning the first two sets, but dropped the last three, losing a critical chance at defeating a ranked team and salvaging a key win in a tough tournament.

Terps coach Tim Horsmon, though disappointed in the results, said he liked what he saw from his players.

"In each match, we got better," he said. "We started to do things a lot better, and we became more comfortable on the court. It was the first college matchups for many of our players, and it's all about learning and trying to figure things out at this stage of the early season."

Among the standouts was newcomer Ashleigh Crutcher, a freshman who notched a double-double against Tennessee with 17 digs and 12 kills, showing off a repertoire that was worthy of her Under Armour All-American status. Freshman Katie Kelley also contributed 14 digs in the match.

"It's early, but they have put themselves in a position to be on the court," Horsmon said of his freshman class. "I believe they'll be a special group when it's all said and done."

The freshmen and the rest of the Terps will look to improve their fortunes this weekend at the Maryland Invitational in College Park. The Terps will face VCU on Friday night, Quinnipiac on Saturday afternoon and then Xavier that night. Horsmon hopes that his team will rise to the occasion for its home openers, but knows it will be a tough task regardless of the circumstances.

"VCU has a very athletic squad, Quinnipiac is becoming a tough team, and I've had experience with Xavier," said Horsmon, alluding to his time spent at conference rival Dayton.

In addition to the freshmen on the court, the Terps will rely on the recently named captains to lead the way. Junior Remy McBain, who earned her second career triple-double in the Ohio match, is the primary setter for the Terps but also ranks sixth in the ACC in digs per set. Sarah Harper, a sophomore also named co-captain, has recorded the second-highest total of digs thus far into the early season (57).

This weekend's tournament will consist of the first half of a six-match homestand for the Terps, who also host the Arundel Mills Invitational the following weekend.

munson@umdbk.com