Photo courtesy of Maryland Athletics
An already thin Maryland volleyball squad brought out an interesting starting lineup for Saturday’s rematch against Indiana. After a lifeless straight set defeat on Friday, head coach Adam Hughes rolled out his trio of freshmen for the start.
The youngsters did not disappoint as Laila Ricks, Sydney Dowler and Sam Csire all established new career-highs in the 3-1 (25-23, 23-25, 25-17, 25-21) victory, avenging the team’s embarrassing loss Friday night.
“The biggest difference [was] definitely our energy,” Csire said. “Yesterday we were kind of low and we didn’t really look like we wanted it, but today no matter if it was a missed point we fought and cheered, and I think that got everybody’s energy up.”
Photo courtesy of Maryland Athletics
Heading into Friday’s matchup against Indiana, Maryland volleyball head coach Adam Hughes had gotten the better of his predecessor Steve Aird thrice in the three meetings since his promotion in 2018, one he was thrust into following Aird’s sudden departure.
Having just one win on the season has been a sore spot for the Terps in 2021, but another win over Indiana would have been just what the team needed after last weekend’s postponement stifled its momentum.
The Terps hadn’t lost to the Hoosiers since Oct. 2, 2015, but bogged down by COVID-19 related issues, that changed Friday night. Maryland was swept in three sets (25-27, 22-25, 19-25), dropping the team to 1-0 on the season.