After a go-ahead kill by Sydney Bryant put the contest at an 18-17 match point, Maryland volleyball looked to finish the job as Addie Canady took the service line.
Sara Toth set a pass to the right for freshman Ava Brown, who leapt up, looking to send Maryland fans home happy. Brown spiked the ball across the court where no Wildcat could respond, and the team stormed the court to celebrate once the ball hit the floor.
After facing multiple match points, Brown’s kill capped off Maryland’s thrilling
five-set win over Northwestern. The Terps, who had just one Big Ten win last season, eclipsed that total with their second conference victory.
Following their loss on Friday against UCLA, the Terps were determined to revitalize their team and take a conference win from the weekend.
The Terps started off strong and formed a 4-0 run early in the first set. However, the Wildcats then took over, scoring six straight points mostly off of Maryland’s attacking errors. As the match progressed into double digit scores, both sides were neck and neck on the scorecard.
Senior Sydney Bryant was all over the net, recording three straight kills for the Terps. Freshman Brooklynne Brass also became a threat, recording four kills to force the Wildcats to take a timeout. Bryant and Brass each totaled five first-set kills.
Even with the break, the Terps held on to take the first set, 25-19, with final kills from Brass and Eva Rohrbach – both being assisted by Toth, who recorded fifteen assists in the set.
Set two began differently. The Wildcats came back from the set break, establishing an early 8-3 run. They dominated the second set, reaching fifteen points quickly by capitalizing on four Maryland errors. Head coach Adam Hughes eventually called his first timeout of the set in an attempt to counter Northwestern’s dangerous momentum.
Soon after the break, Brown came out on the floor and delivered a loud kill to try to reestablish Maryland’s lead. Following this, a long rally ensued that saw players from both sides constantly diving low for saves before Maryland’s middle blocker Rohrbach delivered the kill.
Maryland had begun to show signs of life again, eventually closing the gap to 17-14. However, the Wildcats ultimately pulled away with the 25-18 second set win.
The beginning of the third set was similar to the first. While the Terps did hold a slight edge early on, Northwestern did not back down. Looking to get out of reach, the Terps created a 4-0 run, forcing Northwestern coach Tim Nollan to call his team in.
Emerging from the timeout, Maryland persisted, with a block by Brown and a kill by Duru Gökçen to follow. Northwestern looked to close the gap, bringing their deficit to two before Brass flew above the net to deliver a cross-court kill. Maryland had been dominating in the set, recording two service aces and a hitting percentage that was consistently over .325.
Regardless, Northwestern pushed on, doing everything it could to find a response. Facing the end of the third set, the Wildcats served the ball hoping for the beginning of a possible comeback. However, an attack error by Isabella Bullington capped off a 25-18 Terps’ set victory
The fourth set saw both teams in a deadlock again. Even though Northwestern had recorded early attack errors, they still managed to stay close with the Terps. Libero Raina Chwialkowski and defensive specialist Elayna Davidson tirelessly crashed the floor, making saves to keep Maryland on track.
While the Wildcats reached fifteen points in the set first, the Terps were right behind. The game remained close as both sides continued to battle. However, not too long after, Northwestern began to take control, capitalizing on numerous errors by Maryland and taking the set, 25-17, to send the game into a final set.
Set five began with more back-and-forth game play. As the match continued on, fans from both sides began to stand up and get loud. Northwestern managed to steadily increase its lead to four, looking to shut Maryland down offensively and take home the win.
Maryland stayed resilient, beginning to close the gap with kills by Rohrbach and Brass. Eventually, the Wildcats had pushed the Terps just one point away from winning. But with a relentless spirit, Maryland managed to hold on and claim the match.
Three things to know
- Brass and Rohrbach take over. Brass and Rohrbach both demonstrated dominance on the floor, leading Maryland in kills with 19 and 18, respectively and points with 21.5 and 20.5, respectively.
- A struggle against service aces. Maryland heavily struggled when Northwestern was at the service line, allowing the Wildcats to score 11 service aces.
- The road ahead. After defeating Northwestern, Maryland aims to keep its momentum as it prepares for a tough match against No. 6 Wisconsin on Oct. 16.
