Volleyball Prepares For Illinois, No. 7 Wisconsin

Maryland (7-7, 0-4 B1G) vs. Illinois (8-5, 3-1 B1G)

Maryland (7-7, 0-4 B1G) vs. No. 7 Wisconsin (11-1, 4-0 B1G)

COLLEGE PARK, MD — The University of Maryland volleyball team enters week three of Big Ten play with two home matchups, first against Illinois, followed by a showdown with No. 7 Wisconsin. The Terps will host Illinois on Friday, October 10, and Wisconsin on Sunday, October 12.

First serve on Friday is set for 7 p.m. ET, while Sunday’s match will begin at 4 p.m. ET. Friday’s match will air on Big Ten Plus, and Sunday’s match will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.

main court mania

• Maryland lost a five-set fight with the No. 16 Nittany Lions on Sunday afternoon at the Xfinity Center.  A crowd of 5,093 fans came out for Main Court Mania to see the Terps take on Penn State, the second-highest draw for a home match in program history. 
• Each of the first three sets were closer than their predecessors and Maryland largely dominated the third frame, winning it 25-19.
• Maryland fought brilliantly on its home court and took one of the nation’s top teams down to the wire, but was ultimately unable to pull the upset, losing the fifth set.
• Ajack Malual led the Terps with 20 kills while Ally Williams recorded 15 digs and a pair of aces on a day where the Terps combined for nine total blocks.

Maryland recorded their second-largest home attendance in program history on Sunday against Penn State. 

turning the page

• Maryland holds a 7-7 overall record after dropping its first four Big Ten matches.
• Defense has been a strength for the Terps throughout the season. Maryland has recorded 148.5 total team blocks, ranking first in the Big Ten. They also rank fourth in blocks per set and fourth in total team digs.
• Duru Gökçen ranks first in the conference with 73 blocks while Eva Rohrbach ranks fifth respectively. 

Ajack Malual became the first Terp since 2019 to record a game with 20+ kills and hit over .400. 

season leaders

• Ajack Malual leads the Terps in kills per set with 3.53 after 14 matches. The senior transfer tallied a career-high 21 kills against Wake Forest earlier this season.
• Lilly Wagner continues to lead the Terps in assists in her first season, averaging 7.91 per set. The redshirt freshman has recorded eight double-doubles this season.
• On the defensive side, Ally Williams is averaging 3.27 digs per set. She posted a career-high 22 digs against Coastal Carolina to open the season.
• Duru Gökçen anchors the defense for the Terps with 1.33 blocks per set. The sophomore is first in the conference in blocks this season with 73. 

Lilly Wagner has recorded eight double-doubles this season. 

Scouting report

• Illinois enters week three of conference play with a 8-5 record and a 3-1 in conference play. 
• Offensively, the Flighting Illini are led by Taylor de Boer, who has 173 kills this season and averages 3.68 per set.
• Ashlyn Philpot anchors the defense with a team-best 49 blocks.
• No. 7 Wisconsin will travel to College Park after opening the season 11-1 and a perfect 4-0 in conference play. The Badgers own ranked wins over No. 14 Kansas, No. 21 Georgia Tech and No. 15 Florida.
• Offensively, they are led by Mimi Colyer who has 205 kills this season and averages 5.39 per set. Carter Booth leads the defense with a team-high 56 blocks.

Ally Williams is currently seventh in the conference in digs this season with 180.

series history

• Maryland is 0-16 all-time against Illinois. Last season, the Fighting Illini swept Maryland in three sets.
• Maryland is 1-12 all-time against Wisconsin. The Terps lost to Wisconsin last season in three sets. 
  
  

Haley Melby is second on the team in kills this season with 107