FanPost

Historic first for Maryland Volleyball

This is the historic news but, "Oy! is life difficult in Big Ten" volleyball post. The historic news is that when PrepVolleyball.com released its annual list of the top 30 recruiting classes, Maryland came in at number 10. I know I've been hyping this class for a while but this is the first time in Maryland volleyball history that the program has landed a top 10 class. The difficulty? Of the nine teams whose classes rank higher than the Terps, five of them are in the B1G.


Half of the six player class enrolled early and have gone through spring practice so I'll start by taking a look at those three.


First among those is 6'4" outside hitter / opposite Sam Drechsel. Prep Volleyball ranks Drechsel 23rd in this group of high school seniors. She's the highest ranked of the three top 100 players entering and an Under Armour first team All-American. She's one of four UA All-Americans. Having three top 100 players and four UA All-Americans are both program firsts. Having seen Drechsel both in practice and in some of the spring schedule, I envision her seeing a lot of balls hit the floor. Drechsel won't be the most athletic player in Maryland's rotation but on a good set, her shot is identifiable by its own unique thwack as it explodes off her hand. She has soft hands and excellent defensive instincts that will allow coach Steve Aird to use her through all six rotations should he so choose.


The next player is 6'2" outside hitter Lexi Alden. Alden made the list of Prep Volleyball's "The 150" which identifies players who are just on the edge of being among the top 100 players in the senior class. Alden has a slighter frame than Drechsel and her arm doesn't have quite the same pop. However, watching her in the spring, she approached the game like a player who knows her strengths and displayed a wide range of cut and roll shots to go along with the power kill.


Like Alden, Sam Burgio was among "The 150." She's also a UA Honorable Mention All-American. Burgio is a 5'10" defensive specialist / libero who hails from Eden, NY and was the 2015 Gatorade Player of the Year in her home state where she played primarily as an outside hitter. It's likely that in a different high school program where she could have focused on the position she'll fill at Maryland, Burgio would have cracked the top 100. Burgio has an intense work ethic and is the definition of a gym rat. Several times this spring I walked by the Pavilion at Comcast Center and saw Burgio in the gym with one of the team managers or male practice players hitting balls at her so she could hone her craft.


Heading up the three players who will join the program in the fall is Prep Volleyball's number 29 overall player, outside hitter Erika Pritchard. Pritchard, from Middletown, MD, is a second team UA All-American. Like Alden, Pritchard is somewhat slightly built but reports from the spring club circuit - where she plays for Maryland assistant coach Adam Hughes - are that she's exceptionally athletic, has a devastating serve and will almost certainly be among the Terps' best offensive threats.


Joining Pritchard on the front row will be middle blocker Jada Gardner. A 6'1" Texan, Gardner is the third top 100 player coming in at number 68. I have nothing to report on Gardner's club or high school play but her familial athletic genes are certainly undeniable. Her mother, Stephanie was a multi-event track and field athlete for Minnesota and her uncle is none other than Shane Battier.


Chloe Prejean, a setter from Clear Spring, MD rounds out the Terrapins' quartet of UA All-Americans having earned a spot on the third team. Prejean, who finished her high school career with more than 2,000 assists adds depth to a position of need for the Terps. While rising sophomore Taylor Smith had a solid freshman year at setter, Aird would like to play a 6-2 offensive system which requires two setters of similar capability. Prejean may provide that option.


In addition to these six freshmen, Terps fans will also see two other new players on the roster this fall. Katie Myers, a 6'2" outside hitter from Ohio and who was part of 2016's 16th ranked class will return after taking an injury redshirt in her freshman year. The final piece is setter Samantha Snyder who transferred to Maryland after a season at American.


When Steve Aird came to Maryland, he had a vision of lifting the volleyball program to unprecedented levels of success. To hammer home the point, he named his fan support group the EnTERPrisers and adopted the Twitter hash tag #TerpsRising. If his recruiting success translates to the court, these Terps are, most assuredly, rising.

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