Volleyball looking to recapture magic of 2010 in weekend matchups

Injuries are abundant. Its record on the road is dreadful. And it's heading into matches against Florida State and Miami shrouded in uncertainty.

The Terrapins volleyball team is certainly in a complicated situation, and a five-match losing streak, a 1-6 road record and a 3-8 record in their last 11 matches tend to put a damper on the Terps' expectations. But it was not too different just one year ago.

Before facing the Seminoles and Hurricanes last year, the Terps had gone an even 5-5 since their season-opening tournaments. After a loss at home to Miami, they rebounded two days later and somehow defeated the No. 22 Seminoles in five sets, helping knock the ACC foe out of the top 25.

"We went after them, and we played smart," coach Tim Horsmon said of last year's performance against Florida State. "We put them in tough situations, and we were able to take them out of their comfort zones. We have to do the same thing this year."

It's easier said than done, however, when the team is not only coming into these matches inconsistent, but also slumping. Unlike at any point last season, the Terps (9-12, 3-6 ACC) have dropped all four road matches in the past two weekends of play. Add that to even more threatening opponents this time around — Florida State (15-4, 9-0) is ranked No. 19, and Miami (15-3, 6-3) jumped into the rankings at No. 25 — and you have a situation where a dagger is aimed at the Terps' season this weekend.

But the Terps do have something going for them: home-court advantage. Compared to their 1-6 road record and 2-9 overall record away from College Park, the squad's 7-3 home record should be comforting. And despite the talent that they will be facing against the two top teams in the conference, being at home may provide an opportunity to stop the bleeding.

"We're definitely glad to be back at home after a couple of weeks on the road," Horsmon said. "We'll get better as the last month goes on. For this weekend, we need to play aggressively and control the ball. That's what we tell the players in practice — to cut out some of our errors and take charge of our side of the court."

Reversing the course of the season this weekend will be far from easy. Florida State has won nine matches in a row, including six sweeps. Miami, meanwhile, sports the best hitting percentage and digs totals in the conference, and is second in kills. The Hurricanes are coming to College Park after losing only their second match in their last eight. But for the Terps, getting back on the right track has nothing to do with the caliber of their opponents — or what happened last year.

"We need to play as well as we can play and hope that we stay healthy," Horsmon said. "Above all, we need to play to win."

munson@umdbk.com