Volleyball set for the grand stage

For the first time in history, the Terrapin volleyball team will host a match on Comcast Center’s main floor.

The Terps (10-10, 2-5 ACC) are facing off against No. 17 Florida State (15-2, 6-1) tonight, kicking off Maryland Madness festivities. The game starts at 5:30 p.m., with doors opening at 4:30 p.m.

“Maryland Madness is about Maryland athletics. It is a little bit more than just a basketball showcase,” Senior Associate Athletics Director Brian Ullmann said. “It’s designed to be a showcase for lots of different things — the band, the dance team, the cheerleaders, Gymkana. ... We’re really excited about being able to have another sport participate.”

The whole idea came about three years ago, when Madness started by showing a volleyball game on Comcast Center’s main video screens. The Terps ended up winning that game, and the crowd was ecstatic, according to Ullmann.

After that night, the Athletics Department was determined to figure out a way to include a live game, and this year, the schedules lined up. Volleyball coach Tim Horsmon was also on board.

“We’re obviously excited about playing in this venue and being a part of [Maryland Madness]” Horsmon said. “But it’s [still] a match. It’s a match that we want to win, and it gives us another chance to play.”

Ullmann noted that this year’s more subdued event, which has been dubbed by the Athletics Department as a “back-to-basics” theme, was a result of budget cuts.

“Like other departments, we’re going to be smart about how we spend the resources we have,” Ullmann said. “And so I think this year Maryland Madness, we won’t see fireworks and things like that.”

Including the volleyball game was a part of that revised approach. But because the game is being played on the main floor, the Terps could face some problems. The team is not used to playing in a venue the size of Comcast’s main arena.

“In these big arenas, the ball moves very differently when you serve and do different things,” Horsmon said. “It visually gives you a different look. ... I’m sure there’s going to be some moments where [the team’s] going to be a little anxious playing in this type of atmosphere because we haven’t seen much of that.”

In their last home game against Wake Forest on Sept. 26, the attendance was 218. The day before against Duke, it was 339. Athletics officials are not sure exactly how many fans the Terps will be playing in front of tonight, but Ullmann said he is hoping for a few thousand.

“A lot of the fans that come to Madness are Terp fans,” Ullmann said. “And whether it’s the field hockey team or the men’s soccer team, or whoever is out there, they’ve been really great about support. I’m excited — I think it’s actually one of the best new things that we’re including in Madness this year.”

But as Ullmann hopes for big things, students have mixed opinions. In an unofficial sampling of 30 students ranging from freshmen to graduate students, only three people said they were planning on attending the volleyball game, and 11 people said they might. To contrast that, nine people said they were planning on attending the basketball portion of Madness, and 15 people said they might go.

“I wasn’t planning on going to watch. Personally, because I don’t find volleyball to be that interesting of a sport,” sophomore Jay Clark said. “There are some kids that will care about volleyball enough to go that early and see the match, but I don’t think that’s going to be a majority.”

Then again, some students think adding volleyball will make Madness more interesting.

“I’m going to go for the whole event,” sophomore Evan McMullen said. “I like sports on campus, so I like to support all my teams.”

Ullmann said there is no plan on making it an annual event due to scheduling conflicts, but if there is a positive response tonight Athletics may try to bring it back again in the future.

engelke@umdbk.com