In front of a staggering 15,127 fans wearing indistinguishable Terps or Cornhuskers red, Maryland volleyball took the XFINITY Center main court with nothing to lose against the best team in college volleyball.
Trailing by just one point in the second set, the Terps appeared poised to snatch the first Big Ten set of the year away from undefeated No. 1 Nebraska.
Campbell flicked a ball back to Nebraska middle blocker Andi Jackson, whose attack was blocked at the net by Brooklynne Brass. Harper Murray
hammered a line drive that met a deep squatting Ava Brown to keep the rally alive.
Fans roared with every hand the ball touched.
Unfortunately for the Terps, Murray rose again, smashing a ball that drilled to the ground.
No. 1 Nebraska defeated Maryland, 3-0, at the XFINITY Center, dropping the Terps’ Big Ten record to 1-3. Coming off a breakthrough five-set win over Iowa that snapped a year-long conference drought, the Terps met an unstoppable force in the undefeated Cornhuskers.
“I thought the program did a good job resetting after Thursday in a good win against a top 50 team,” Hughes commented. “To turn and burn and prepare the same way against an excellent team… I think we did a great job.”
Brooklynne Brass got things started with a kill that riled up the crowd. The Terps held their own, trading points with the Cornhuskers until things leveled out at six.
Nebraska’s Manaia Ogbechie fully extended her fingers to narrowly block Brass’ kill attempt – an effort that was the beginning of five unanswered points to give Nebraska an 11-6 lead. Attempting to prevent the first set from slipping away, Maryland head coach Adam Hughes called a timeout.
Brown logged her first kill of the game, butRyan Hunter quickly answered with an attack that was followed by a miscue from Maryland middle blocker Eva Rohrbach.
Hughes burned his second timeout, but this break wasn’t as effective in stopping separation. Jackson scored a service ace before serving her next ball behind the baseline to award Maryland a point. The Cornhuskers took the first set, 25-13, with a service error from Rohrbach.
Brass got things started for the Terps in the second frame with a kill that darted through the fingers of the Cornhuskers. Rohrbach and Brass then teamed up for a block on Ogbechie’s attempted kill that pumped up Terps fans.
By the time the Terps reached their first-set total, the Cornhuskers had amassed less than half of theirs. Nebraska led, 15-14, going into the break.
With two intense rallies ending in Nebraska’s favor, the Terps needed a momentum shift to steal the 20-16 second set. It wasn’t until Nebraska caught fire with two more straight points that Ava Brown shot a rocket of a ball through Nebraska’s defense.
Unfortunately for Maryland, the rocket took off too late, as attack errors from Nebraska and a kill from Rohrbach couldn’t propel the Terps past the volleyball powerhouse.
“We have the mindset that we make sure we’re ready and try to crack open a window and, if we can, run through it. Things were close in set two, but a great team got on a run and put it away,” Hughes said.
Nebraska took the second set, 25-20, with an error-redeeming kill by Jackson.
Eager to avoid a sweep, the Terps didn’t just score the opening point of the third frame; they scored four consecutive points. The Cornhuskers then got back on their feet with a series of kills to remain adjacent to the Terps.
Jackson took the service line and leveled things at seven with an ace that began a dominant set from the senior. From botched passes to miscommunication, Maryland had no answer for her. Nebraska pulled six points with Jackson’s stint, erasing any lingering power from Maryland’s aggressive start.
“We didn’t have an answer for Andi Jackson, but nobody has this year,” Hughes said. “I’d argue she’s the best in the country and it’s not even close.”
Maryland wouldn’t recover from the obliteration of Jackson’s stint. The Terps continued to make errors and failed to capitalize on their opponents’. Service remained a weak point in Maryland’s back row as Teraya Sigler aced a serve to put the Cornhuskers up, 20-14.
With a mix of hungry freshmen fighting and a limited Bryant striving to ignite a late-set turnaround, Maryland’s search for a weakness in the Cornhuskers’ defense fell short. Its 15th point came from a Nebraska error. Finally, Skyler Pierce sealed the frame shut, 25-15, as the Cornhuskers’ fans erupted.
Three things to know
1. Out-served. Nebraska recorded 12 aces to Maryland’s one. The Terps’ receiving core was obliterated by a locked-in Jackson, whose lethal service run sparked a surge that completely swung momentum back to the Huskers.
2. Flashes of brilliance. The Terps showed incredible fight in the second set, utilizing tough defense to keep things even through the midway point before Nebraska’s response. They also showed life early in the third frame, jumping out to an early lead before the Huskers clamped down around the net.
3. Hitting struggle. While Maryland’s execution was apparent in bursts, the Cornhuskers’ relentless blocking pressure wore them down, ultimately forcing the Terps into a rough -0.077 hitting percentage in the final set.
