Volleyball heads into potentially historic weekend

The Terrapins volleyball team may meet a historic fate tonight.

With a loss to Virginia Tech on the road — the same team that initiated the Terps' month-plus-long losing streak in the beginning of October — the Terps would see their losing streak move to 12. That would set a record for the program's longest ever single-season losing streak, something coach Tim Horsmon knows isn't to be taken lightly.

"I think that any coach would care about that," Horsmon said. "It's not something we talk about, and it's not worth spending a whole lot of energy on. We just need to play as hard as we can and be prepared to play."

When the streak first started, the Terps' season had at least taken on some theme of inconsistency — prevailing in some, losing others. But after winning nine of its first 16 games, the team struggled to find a rhythm, its chances to finish off teams seldom materializing.

Soon enough, one loss rolled into another, and a winless four-match road trip against prime ACC competition following their loss to the Hokies (13-13, 6-9 ACC) kick-started the spiral the Terps have been trapped in ever since.

"We're near the end of the season," Horsmon said. "Hopefully we're a little better, a little more seasoned. But we'll work hard this weekend and hopefully get some good health as well. [The players] are all banged up. We're thin, and we've been thin all year. Injuries and being tired account for [the streak], and we don't have other players to play. But we don't make excuses."

The Terps might not have many should they fall to Virginia, which they play tomorrow. The Cavaliers (8-17, 2-13) have the worst record in conference play, and rank behind only Wake Forest and Boston College for worst overall records among ACC teams. The Terps will get a shot at all three in its last five regular-season matches — matches that may prove to be the light at the end of the tunnel the team desperately wants to reach.

"They have a great attitude and have worked really hard," Horsmon said of his players. "I'm proud of them for that. We just got to be a better team."

munson@umdbk.com