Maryland volleyball falls to Northwestern in four sets, 3-1

After Northwestern’s third 3-0 run of the fourth set, it was clear Maryland volleyball was on its way to its second straight loss.

Despite winning the first set, Maryland (13-5, 3-3 Big Ten) fell to Northwestern (8-8, 2-4 Big Ten) in four sets.

The Terps found their footing offensively again in the fourth set. Despite this, neither team could quite pull away. After runs from both sides, it was Northwestern that ultimately did so, winning the set 25-20.

Sydney Dowler set a new career high in kills with seven. She was a consistent piece of the offense all night, hitting .462 with 34 assists. The senior also got it done on the defensive end, recording 16 digs.

“Late in game four, the stats were pretty clear,” coach Adam Hughes said. “It was back and forth. We didn’t pass as well in games three and four. They played the game just a little bit cleaner. [Dowler] did a good job on the run to try to keep us in system.”

The Terps opened the game strong, collecting four kills on a 5-0 run. Sophomore outside hitter Laila Ivey started the scoring and delivered three straight kills. They maintained their lead and started to pull away after back-to-back service aces from freshman defensive specialist Jonna Spohn.

Maryland would win the set 25-20 after a Northwestern attack error. The offense clicked early on and ended the set with a .237 hitting percentage with 14 kills and a pair of blocks. Senior pin hitter Samantha Schnitta collected four kills in the late part of the set to secure the win.

Coming off her up-and-down weekend, outside hitter Sam Csire came alive in the second set. Csire’s two early kills gave Maryland a slim 6-5 lead. They grew their lead after a 3-0 run that included kills from Ivey and Schnitta. 

Csire led the team in kills with 13 on the night. The outside hitter also hit well with a .216 hitting percentage and eight digs.

This lead was immediately wiped away. Coming out of a timeout, Northwestern put together a 5-0 run that included three Maryland attack errors. The back and forth continued until outside hitter Julia Sangiacomo took over for Northwestern. Sangiacomo recorded three straight kills and a block to help the Wildcats to a 25-21 win.

“[Sangiacomo] was scoring in a variety of ways… she was impressive,” Hughes said. “We tried different matchups, we tried different looks at her and she just kept finding answers. We could not find a solution for her.”

Northwestern continued its run into the third set. Going into a Maryland timeout, the Wildcats had an 8-4 lead and the Terps were hitting just .071 on the set. Northwestern continued to win long volleys and took a 2-1 lead. The set ended on a Maryland attack error, its eighth of the set.

The Terps will look to bounce back when they face No. 1-ranked Wisconsin on Sunday.