Maryland Volleyball: Steve Aird Leaves Maryland
By Wesley Brown
Head Volleyball Coach Steve Aird has resigned from the school and has accepted the same position at Indiana University.
Aird has been the one who built a sensational foundation for Maryland Volleyball, so his departure really could send shockwaves though the program. He is responsible for signing a top-10 recruiting class in 2017, setting up a bright future for the team.
During the 2017 season, Maryland announced themselves as a national player, thanks to a tremendous start. The Terrapins began the campaign 11-0, including a win over then 18th-ranked Southern California.
Once the team took their first lost against 7th-ranked Washington, the tough Big Ten schedule hit them rather hard. They sported a 7-13 record in their final 20 games and finished 18-14, but narrowly missed the NCAA Tournament. A majority of these losses came against highly ranked teams, and Maryland just couldn’t pull off many upsets.
After leaving his Alma Mater of Penn State, Aird finished with a 55-74 record at Maryland, which was his first tenure as a head volleyball coach. He leaves behind a very invigorated program and fanbase with their sights set on a national spotlight.
As noted in his Maryland Bio, Aird has set six top-10 attendance records in College Park. The excitement comes after two top-16 recruiting classes in a row.
His talent at building a program will be tested at Indiana after a rough 2017 campaign. The Hoosiers finished with a 12-20 record, thanks to dropping their last 11 matches. This rather poor season comes after two seasons of improving records, and a winning campaign in 2016.