When Maryland volleyball head coach Steve Aird agreed to play in the Pac-12/Big Ten showcase in 2014, he knew it would take a few years before his team would compete with the other teams in the field.
The Terps were swept by Pac-12 powerhouses Washington and USC that year, and then struggled against the same two teams and Oklahoma a year later. Heading into this year’s version of the tournament, called the Maryland Challenge, the Terps were just 1-8 all-time against the three teams in the field.
So when Maryland beat the No. 18 Trojans in straight sets on Thursday night, it seemed like a big deal for a program that had gone just 2-38 against ranked opponents in the past three years.