Volleyball heads to Florida for pair of weekend matches

The last time the Terrapin volleyball team played Florida State, it was dominated on Comcast Center’s main floor in front of a large and energized crowd preparing for Maryland Madness.

The Terps lost by scores of 25-12, 25-22 and 25-14 against the then-No. 17 Seminoles. Since then, both teams have seen improvements.

Florida State (25-2, 16-1 ACC) came into that match two weeks after suffering its second loss of the season on Oct. 2 to Georgia Tech. Now, the Seminoles are ranked No. 15 and are riding a 13-game win streak.

Meanwhile, the Terps (13-17, 5-12) are coming off their best performance of the season. Last weekend, they defeated defending ACC champion North Carolina and swept a hapless N.C. State team. The Terps had not won back-to-back games since Sept. 19.

The two teams are set to meet again this Sunday, this time in the Sunshine State. The Terps also have a matchup tonight at Miami (16-11, 9-8) But coach Tim Horsmon said the team has not been focusing on how good Florida State is, but on how it still needs improve.

“We just gotta do what we can do and take care of our side [of the net],” Horsmon said. “We can’t worry about them. … We need to play against Miami and Florida State and not against us.”

The Terps shrugged off their mistake-prone play last weekend, but they still remember their run of errors that led to losing streaks of five and four games earlier in the season.

For the team to have a shot against the mighty Seminoles, it will need to find a way to shut down preseason All-ACC selection Brianna Barry, a middle blocker. She has recorded 255 kills en route to an ACC-best hitting percentage of .520, which is also second best in the country.

“She hasn’t been stopped too often this year,” Horsmon said. “You have to do the best you can in containing her. You have to serve tough and try to keep the ball away from her.”
Despite the team’s focus on self-improvement, Horsmon couldn’t help but acknowledge Florida State’s quality.

“They have a good mix of talent and maturity and how they play,” Horsmon said. “They have all the ingredients right now to put them in a really good situation to win the ACC and do well in the NCAA tournament. … We’re just worried about Maryland volleyball right now.”

TERP NOTE: This week, Horsmon announced the signing of two high school players that will arrive at this university next fall — 6-foot outside hitter Mary Cushman, of Rochester, N.Y., and 6-foot-4 middle blocker/right side Carlisle Abele, of Birmingham, Ala. Cushman was named the 2008 New York Gatorade Player of the Year and ranks as the No. 56 recruit in the nation according to prepvolleyball.com.

“Both are great kids,” Horsmon said. “We’re excited about both and I think both are going to help our program.”

engelke@umdbk.com