2019 Howard vs Maryland | Big Ten Womens Volleyball

Big Ten Snapshots: Erika Pritchard Setting Benchmarks At Maryland

Erika Pritchard is a player like Maryland volleyball has never seen before.

Aug 29, 2019 by Megan Kaplon

Big Ten Snapshots: Erika Pritchard Setting Benchmarks At Maryland

In the world of NCAA women’s volleyball, there’s no conference quite like the Big Ten. Heading into the 2019 season, seven of the 14 teams appeared in the AVCA preseason top-25 poll. Five of those seven ranked in the top 10.

FloVolleyball will be your go-to spot to stream Big Ten matches this season. Click here for the schedule of matches.

*Schedule is subject to change. Every Big Ten's women's volleyball match available on BTN Plus also will be available live and on-demand on FloVolleyball.

This week, we're bringing you a quick rundown of all 14 teams in the Big Ten, so you can know what to expect as teams get the season rolling this weekend.

Maryland Terrapins

2018 Record:18-14 (9-11)

2018 Postseason: N/A

AVCA National Preseason Ranking: N/A

Big Ten Preseason Ranking: 10

On Monday, Aug. 26, the Big Ten announced its preseason all-conference selections, and for the first time since Maryland joined the conference in 2014, a Terrapin made that list.

Junior Erika Pritchard certainly made a name for herself last season, leading the conference in kills per set with 4.32, ranking second in Maryland volleyball history with 493 kills in the season, and was earning First Team All-Big Ten honors.

Last season, Erika Pritchard led #B1GVolleyball with 4.32 kills per set, and her 493 kills are the second most in a single season in @TerpsVolleyball history. pic.twitter.com/y8TfUnZ4QU
— Big Ten Volleyball (@B1GVolleyball) August 27, 2019

2018 saw Maryland go 18-14, 9-11 in the Big Ten. Major contributors Liz Twilley and Abigail Bentz graduated, but in addition to Pritchard, returning starters include setter Nicole Alford, middles Rainelle Jones and Katie Myers, and libero Allegra Rivas.

Couldn't make it to the scrimmage yesterday? We've got you covered.#LND pic.twitter.com/KkulFKkD5f
— Maryland Volleyball (@TerpsVolleyball) August 25, 2019

Heading into its sixth season in the Big Ten conference, and second season under head coach Adam Hughes, Maryland has yet to achieve a winning record in the league, with last year’s nine wins representing the team’s best showing in the Big Ten to date.

But then again, until Erika Pritchard, no Maryland player had ever earned First Team All-Big Ten or preseason All-Big Ten. Perhaps the native of the Old Line State with two seasons of eligibility left to use will be the key ingredient to pushing Maryland past this latest benchmark.