Before heading into Big Ten play, Maryland volleyball had one last nonconference test Friday night: Seton Hall.
However, the Pirates didn’t put up much resistance. Though the sets were tight, the Terps ran away with a rapid 3-0 sweep, bringing plenty of momentum with them into conference play.
The Terps got off to a slow start. Their largest early deficit ballooned to 10-4 after a few mistakes, and momentum was slowly inching towards the Pirates.
However, the Terps were determined to fight back. They
were able to build some small runs in the first set, cutting the deficit down to one, 13-14, after a few nice plays on both sides of the ball.
After Ajack Malual set an impressive kill to cut the lead down to one, the Terps were able to pressure Seton Hall to make a mistake to tie the game at 14 apiece.
Neither team had a chance to go on a run in a closely fought opening-set battle. However, Maryland slowly found openings through Malual and Eva Rohrbach and eventually earned its first lead of the set, 20-19.
That momentum propelled the Terps to clinch a tight first set, 25-22, after pressuring Seton Hall with a shot that led into an attacking error.
The back-and-forth battle continued in the second set, with the teams splitting the first eight points, giving blows towards each other.
However, momentum started to shift away from the Terps, as the Pirates built a 10-6 lead off of three kills.
Maryland once again displayed determination in fighting back, slowly working itself back into the game until retaking the lead, with the scoreboard reading 18-17.
A kill by Rohrbach set up by Lilly Wagner followed by a poor set by Seton Hall gave the Terps a three-point lead, 22-19. Seton Hall didn’t let up, though. They closed the gap late in the second set, forcing the Terps to cling on to a slight 23-22 lead.
However, Maryland found a way to hang on and survive Seton Hall’s late surge, clinching its second set, 25-22, after a service ace by Wagner.
The Terps found their groove early in set three, taking a quick 4-2 lead, before the trend of back-and-forth battles continued.
Seton Hall found a chance to capitalize late in the set, as a service ace and Terps’ attacking error set it up nicely to run away with things.
However, that was short-lived, as Maryland quickly earned back two points on Seton Hall’s service error and attacking error to bring the score to 22-21.
The Terps ultimately completed the sweep, as two Malual kills finished off the set, 25-23.
Head coach Adam Hughes wasn’t surprised about the team’s performance.
“We’re gonna be at battles all throughout the Big Ten. What I like about them is it’s a resilient group,” said Hughes. “I think we were down late in games, two by three [points], and came back and found ways to win.”
He also highlighted the rest period for the Terps, as it was a long 11-day journey for them.
“It’s crazy. I was telling them we were on for 11 days straight…we played Saturday and Sunday. Played a five-gamer, four-gamer,” said Hughes. “Came back to campus on Wednesday and lifted, practiced on Thursday and played today. They’ve been on a long, long stretch, which is very uncommon.”
Three things to know
1. Rohrbach shines on both sides. The Terps led the Terps with 11 kills and was on target a .529 attacking percentage. She also had four blocks en route to the Terps’ victory.
2. Crucial resilience. Maryland faced a close battle in every set but fought back to clinch all of them.
3. Conference Play. The Terps get a long rest before hitting the road to take on a tough Iowa team. They start conference play at 7 p.m. Thursday.
