Maryland volleyball let No. 16 Penn State come one set away from a straight-set victory Sunday evening on the Xfinity Center main court. The Terps needed vast improvement to work their way back into things.
That’s exactly what they did. With the crowd loud and standing, the Terps were energized and motivated, fighting all the way back to force a fifth set.
Despite the critical fourth set win and the crowd roaring the Terps to a fifth-set battle with the defending national champions, Maryland was torn apart by the defending national champion Nittany Lions, falling in the winner-take-all sequence.
Failing to complete the comeback, Maryland fell to the Nittany Lions, 3-2. The Terps are still in search of their first conference win of the season.
Maryland opened the first set in an early deficit, as Penn State embarked on a seven-point run. Maryland couldn’t stymie any kill attempts by the Nittany Lions and had errors on their own in the early goings of the set.
Despite Maryland’s best efforts to stop the runs, Penn State continued its hot start, building a 15-5 lead. Penn State pressured the Terps with their swings, forcing offensive mistakes by the Terps.
But the Terps didn’t give in, building off the energy established in the middle of the set and starting small runs of their own. They also forced Penn State into multiple offensive mistakes, and kill attempts by Eva Rohrbach, Oliva Ruy, Ajack Malual and Haley Melby cut the lead down to seven points.
There were rallies for both teams throughout the set, but after an attacking error by Ruy, Penn State secured the first set in dominating fashion, 25-16.
The second set wrote a similar storyline to the first. Penn State started off hot early, embarking another five-point run. Meanwhile, Maryland couldn’t replicate Penn State’s momentum in the early goings, and the score soon became 8-2.
But the Terps mounted a four-point run, with Rohrbach responsible for two kills that helped cut Penn State’s lead to 8-6.
Despite the Terps’ best efforts, Penn State stayed on pace well ahead before a five-point run increased its lead to 17-10.
In the face of Penn State trying to close the set, Maryland put out a final effort. Stacking two-point runs was the consistent trend for the Terps as they cut the gap down to 22-18.
Maryland saved the point-clinching set after Sydney Bryant was set up by Lilly Wagner for the kill. But the very next point, an attacking error by the Terps secured the set for Penn State.
Heading into the third set, Maryland was able to shake things up with a quick four-point run. Ally Williams rattled off two service aces after a kill by Malual. A Penn State attacking error made it 4-1 Terps early, and Maryland continued to build.
For a moment, the Terps’ momentum slowed tremendously. Penn State turned the tide late, forging a comeback effort as it cut down the Terps’ lead to 13-11. But Maryland got its spark back with a three point run.
Bryant was a key factor in the third set, with her three kills helping the Terps take a late six-point lead, their largest of the game.
The Terps were able to again rely on the small point turnarounds and soon after won the frame with an attacking error by the Nittany Lions, forcing a fourth set against the defending champions.
After the teams split the opening six points of the fourth set, Penn State broke the standoff with a three point run. Immediately, though, the Terps stormed back with a six point run of their own.
That gave Maryland an advantage they held through the middle section of the set, despite Penn State’s best efforts to cut the lead.
A back-and-forth battle brewed late into the fourth set, with both sides trading blows. The teams combined for 10 ties and six lead changes through the frame.
And then, the Terps’ defense stepped up, pressuring Penn State into three critical mistakes and earning another set. The game-extending play came via a Penn State service error, and the Terps clinched the battle, 25-23, forcing a winner-take-all finale.
With an energetic crowd at its backs heading into the fifth set, Maryland tried to capitalize on the opportunity. But Penn State instead built a six-point run in the early goings, 9-2, to take control of the set.
Ajack Malual’s two-way game was critical for the Terps — she led the team in kills and tied for the lead in blocks. But stuck on the backline for much of the decider, the opposite hitter became an easy target for Penn State’s offense, who successfully sent several spikes past Malual.
Those three kills were supported by two service aces, and a run that started with Malual’s service error ended with the Nittany Lions firmly in control.
The Terps couldn’t spark a last surge comeback, and Penn State clinched set five, 15-5.
“I thought messaging for the team is really important to come out of that moral victory,” head coach Adam Hughes said. “I believe that this group still has a lot of talent.”
Three things to know
- Hitting percentage woes continue. The Terps’ offense simply could not capitalize on offense Sunday, with a .143 hitting percentage. That’s their third-lowest hitting percentage mark on the season
- Lilly Wagner keeps Maryland in it. Despite the loss, Wagner notched 30 assists in the game and was crucial in setting up the Terps offense.
- Searching for a Big Ten win. The Terps will have another chance to earn their first conference win of the season Friday, when they host Illinois at 7 p.m.
