The Maryland Volleyball program made a significant move this weekend by welcoming two notable transfers, Olivia Ruy and Ajack Malual, in an effort to strengthen their roster for the upcoming season.
Olivia Ruy, a towering 6-foot-8 redshirt freshman from Arkansas, stood out as a key player her previous season, starting in all but four games. She showed her skills by finishing third on the team with 221 successful attacks and ranking high with 13 serving aces. With the departure of Sam Csire, who ranks third on the list of successful attacks at Maryland, Ruy is ready to take the reins and leave her mark on the team. Last season, the Terps suffered from depth issues at the outside forward position, having only one healthy player at the end. Ruy comes in with three years of eligibility, sparking excitement about his potential impact.
She is joined by Ajack Malual, who previously spent two seasons at Chaminade University in Honolulu before making the jump to Tennessee, a team that found success in the NCAA tournament last year. During his brief stint with the Volunteers, Malual contributed with 15 kills, three digs and two blocks in his eight appearances. The 2023 American Volleyball Coaches Association third-team All-America selection stands to bring valuable experience to a relatively young Maryland team.
As the Terps prepare for the challenges ahead, they face significant roster changes, with eight seniors graduating and only 13 players currently on the roster for the 2025 season. That leaves plenty of opportunity for other transfers to join the program.
In other news, the Maryland women’s basketball team remains steady at No. 8 in the Associated Press Top 25 team rankings this week. Additionally, Kaylene Smikle was crowned Big Ten Co-Player of the Week on Monday. Meanwhile, the Maryland men’s basketball team earned seven points in the latest rankings of the Associated Press’ top 25 teams. Finally, excitement is building as the Maryland gymnastics team prepares for its first meet of the season this Saturday.
