By: Sammi Silber

The Maryland Terrapins volleyball team shined and struggled in Los Angeles, going 1-2 in three games of the Pac-12 Challenge. The Terps were shut out twice throughout the tourney, losing 3-0 to both Washington and University of Southern California. They did manage a 3-1 win over Oklahoma in four matches.

In the first match against No. 5 Washington, junior Hailey Murray and sophomore Liz Twilley were among the standout players, both hitting over a .400 clip. Murray managed seven kills and five blocks, and Twilley had eight kills. Freshman Gia Milana led the team with 10 kills, but wasn’t the only first-year Terp to take the court; Katie Myers made her Maryland debut, posting two kills in her first-ever start.

Maryland’s true skill came on display in their second match of the tournament against Oklahoma, when multiple Terps set career records or put up impressive stats. Milana finished with 20 kills (a personal best), freshman Taylor Smith put up a career-high 52 assists and sophomore Kelsey Wicinski finished with 28 digs, a new career record.

Not to mention, Milana, Twilley, Murray and senior Ashlyn MacGregor had kills in the double digits. The team put up one of their best efforts of the season, winning the game in four difficult sets. Head coach Steve Aird recognized that in the post-game conference, pointing out that it was “a really good win” for the program, and that he is “proud of the team for getting the win.”

When it came down to the third and final match against No. 21 USC, the Terps had some help from their young guns. Milana led the team with 12 kills, and Wicinski put up an impressive 17 digs in the loss. Twilley and junior Angel Gaskin finished with nine kills.

Following this tournament, the Terps move on to 8-4 on the season. The Terps head to Minnesota on Friday to take on the Gophers and open up Big Ten play.