Maryland volleyball took the court with something to prove against No. 20 Washington. Emerging victorious from a tight first set, there was a sparkle in each Terp’s eye as they looked to end their five-game losing streak.
Having won just the third set of their losing streak, Maryland got to set point twice in the second set. On the first occasion, Simona Mateska got a kill for the Huskies to extend the game; on the second, Haley Melby couldn’t land her serve. Washington got a block and executed another
perfect kill, winning the second set of the match, extinguishing some of the hope in those eyes.
Finding themselves in a consistent set-to-set battle, both Maryland and Washington looked for a way to break the pattern they shared. While the Terps came ready to play and worked to dominate in set one, Washington warmed up just after, regained its balance, and took the match 3-1 on its home court.
Maryland has lost its last six matches, winning just three sets during that stretch.
Stepping onto the court in Seattle against a ranked team, Maryland knew it had to play at a higher level, and the Terps did find the power that had been missing at times throughout the rest of the season.
Maryland started set one with an obvious increase in its aggressive behavior. The brutal blocks, the savage kills — Washington was forced into unexpectedly slipping. Owning over half of the kills in the first set, the Terps’ hostility grew. Even more surprisingly, Maryland claimed three points through service aces, one more than its opponents, a team currently ranked third in the Big Ten for their aces per set.
Right as Maryland found itself at set point, the Huskies called a timeout, hoping to regain their footing; however, with a kill from Eva Rohrbach, the Terps managed to take their first away conference set in over a year.
Without Sydney Bryant, Maryland’s momentum in set two would have been mediocre at best. Sparking a 3-0 run all from her own kills, Bryant kept the score as close as it was. Yet, these kills weren’t enough to help Maryland cross the finish line of the set.
As the Huskies arrived at their first set point at a close 24-23, Bryant unsurprisingly launched another 2-0 run for Maryland with a kill and vicious block. The Terps then found themselves at set point; they couldn’t find the final point, though. With its final 3-1 run, Washington took set two
As the teams combined for a total of nine ties during set three, it was obvious Washington was struggling. Still hitting below .200, the Huskies were still struggling to function at their routine capacity. Playing at a higher level than earlier in the season, Maryland brought the battle to the Huskies, forcing them to work for every point. Nonetheless, by building momentum from the previous set, the Huskies prevailed through the battle of set three, 25-22.
After the third set, it became clear that Maryland’s grip over the game was slipping. After forcing Washington to hit at a .167 hitting percentage in set one, the Huskies managed to up their clearance to .400 in the fourth set, breaking out with an immediate 6-1 burst.
Continuing their momentum from the last two sets, the teams fought tooth and nail for every point. Still, with a hitting clearance of only .235, the Terps couldn’t hit the mark. A final devastating kill from Samantha Destler delivered Maryland its sixth consecutive loss with a set score of 25-22.
Three things to know
1. The battle. Although facing a ranked opponent, Maryland was unwilling to slow its roll. They brought a fresh energy and aggression to the match, a necessary mindset when facing ranked opponents. Despite eventually losing the match, the team proved its growth by putting on a close match, never losing a set by more than three points against a ranked opponent.
2. Close match, inevitable loss. The match proved to be Maryland’s sixth consecutive loss. While able to win a set at times, the team struggles to bridge the gap between an excitingly close match and a genuine victory.
3. Resilience through the sets. Maryland’s young team seems to know it’s not over until it’sover and keeps pushing through the attacks. They had an impressive way of slowing down the Huskies and reducing overall point deficits after larger Washington runs.
