After a last-minute 3-2 defeat at the hands of Michigan State, Maryland volleyball faced a challenge trying to correct its losing ways at No. 22 USC. Thursday’s contest against the Trojans also served as its fourth in-season tournament game, with the Terps hoping to end their dry spell in away games.
However, Maryland simply couldn’t replicate USC’s offense, racking up numerous errors and posting its worst attacking performance of the season in a three-set defeat.
The first set was not the start that
the Terps were looking for. Maryland faced heavy pressure after failing to stymie various kill attempts that snuck past the defense. Service aces that were unreturnable and early offensive mistakes put the Terps down 9-3.
Maryland tried to rally back with a couple of powerful shots —- Eva Rohrbach and Ajack Malual attacked the middle of the court, getting two points back.
Still, momentum remained with USC. It continued to pelter Maryland with shots that the Terps failed to respond to, and soon after, they found themselves down by double-digit points. Despite Maryland trying to find a lifeline in the set, USC clinched the first set in dominant fashion, 25-12.
The Terps had eight errors — compared to six kills — and no blocks in the frame.
The second set went about as well as the first. USC embarked on a four-point run in the early goings, with Maryland mistakes once again contributing. It was an error-filled set for both teams early; however, USC was less error-prone, jumping out to an 8-2 lead.
Maryland tried to spark their run, but the same story occurred throughout the game; its one or two-point runs ended abruptly in an error.
Eventually, the Terps embarked on a three-point run. A kill by Malual snuck past the Trojans’ defense in the side court, and two points later, another kill from the Italian made the score 10-18.
Despite that run, the Terps had no way to switch the momentum. The deficit was too much for Maryland to come back from, and the Trojans clinched the second set on a Maryland-esque play, blocking the final shot to leave the score 14-25.
The Terps desperately needed to make changes and clean things up on both sides of the court if they wanted to spark a potential comeback in set three. The Trojans had taken advantage of messy points from Maryland all night.
Early on, the Terps did find that spark, earning its first lead of the night, 4-3. However, USC put together multiple smaller runs, eventually seizing the lead back. Maryland’s error woes continued, and after it couldn’t return a center-court kill shot, it suddenly trailed, 5-7.
But Maryland fought back nonetheless — looking like a different team than it had in the first two sets. The Terps knotted the score at eight apiece, thanks to kills by Haley Melby and Olivia Ruy.
But the Trojans forged the longer runs, recapturing the lead in the middle of the set, 12-8. After Maryland’s timeout, it built a three point run. A Ruy kill, Trojans attacking error and Katie Scherer kill cut the lead down to 11-12.
But that was the last of Maryland’s positives. USC began feasting on Maryland’s errors, slowly building back a six point lead. Maryland tried everything to kickstart a late surge, but its offensive struggles limited it. USC ultimately took advantage, clinching the third and final set of the game, 25-18.
Three things to know
1. Maryland’s offense was ghosted. Maryland’s offense was completely off target all night, putting up its smallest attacking percentage at -.047%.
2. Maryland’s biggest strength came out weak. Maryland entered the game as the best blocking team in the conference. Thursday was a different story, though, with the Terps collecting just one block on the night.
3. Ending the road trip losing to another ranked opponent. Maryland will look to bounce back against No. 25 UCLA. It will hope to end its dry spell in away games before heading home.
