Thursday brought the opening round of the 2026 ITA Division I Women’s East Sectional Championship in Philadelphia, and Maryland had two players in the mix with a shot at the round of 16.
At the University of Pennsylvania, Oliwia Orlinska and Emma Ghirardato were both set for singles matches at 12 p.m. Orlinska drew Cornell freshman Chloe Fouhety, while Ghirardato faced North Carolina State’s Victoria Osuigwe.
Orlinska handled her first test and moved on, beating Fouhety 7-5, 5-7, 6-1 to punch her ticket to Friday’s round of 16. Ghirardato’s run ended there, as Osuigwe topped her 6-4, 7-6 (5).
Orlinska entered the event with a 13.55 World Tennis Number, and her win keeps Maryland alive in the sectional bracket heading into the next round. The tournament runs through Sunday, Nov. 8, the same day the UNF Fall Invite wraps up in Jacksonville, Fla.
While Orlinska and Ghirardato were in Philadelphia, six other Maryland players were headed south for the UNF Fall Invite: Anastasiia Sorska, Mila Mulready, Diya Challa, Katherine Hung, Lucia Donnelly and Magdalena Baniak. That event begins Friday, Nov. 6.
Looking further ahead, Ghirardato, Challa and Sorska will soon shift their focus to the NCAA Fall Championship, which begins Tuesday, Nov. 17.
Elsewhere in Maryland athletics, Baba Oladotun and Pharrel Payne were both included in ESPN’s 2027 big board. Former Maryland center Derik Queen also made headlines Wednesday, Nov. 4, coming off the bench to help the New Orleans Pelicans beat the Utah Jazz in overtime.
In Other News...
Buzz Williams Just Gave Maryland Fans A New Ceiling To Debate
Buzz Williams has barely settled in at Maryland, but the early buzz around his roster is already giving Terrapins fans something to argue about. ESPN draft analyst Jeremy Woos initial 2027 NBA Draft Big Board put two Maryland players in the top 100, a sign that the talent base in College Park may be deeper than the usual preseason chatter suggests. For a program trying to establish its identity under a new coach, that kind of recognition matters.
Baba Oladotuns place on the list points to the upside Williams is working with, while Pharrel Payne brings the kind of veteran size and physicality that can stabilize a front line. It is the sort of combination that can change how high a teams ceiling feels before the season even starts, and it also leaves one obvious question hanging over Maryland: just how much more room is there for this roster to climb if the development hits? [Read more 🡒]
Maryland Gets A Real Test For Aazaar Abdul-Rahims New Approach
Maryland heads into a road trip to Purdue still trying to steady itself after a last-second loss in Aazaar Abdul-Rahims first game as interim coach. The focus this week has been less about a reset and more about tightening the details, with the staff pushing for better defensive play and sharper situational awareness as the Terrapins try to turn a promising approach into something more reliable.
Abdul-Rahim has also brought a different feel to practice, and players have noticed the change in competitiveness and routine. With the head coaching search still ongoing, the challenge now is keeping the message consistent while the on-field product gets cleaner, because this next stretch will say plenty about how quickly Maryland can respond to the new direction. [Read more 🡒]
Maryland Finally Ended A Big Ten Slide It Couldnt Afford
Maryland finally got the kind of Big Ten result it had been chasing, and needed, at Ross-Ade Stadium, where the Terrapins outlasted Purdue 34-29 for their first conference win of the 2026 season. The victory snapped a 13-game Big Ten losing streak and gave the Terps a much-needed jolt after a long stretch of frustration, with the offense and defense both doing enough to keep the night from slipping away.
Malik Washington was at the center of it, while Marylands defense piled up pressure with seven sacks and 14 tackles for loss to help contain Purdues attack. Purdue stayed within striking distance behind Jacobo Echeverria Lozanos five field goals, but Maryland answered with enough timely offense to finish the job and leave the program with a result it could finally build on. [Read more 🡒]