Lilly Wagner continues to fuel Maryland volleyball’s offense in 3-0 win over Old Dominion

Redshirt freshman setter Lilly Wagner orchestrated the offensive attack on the court, remaining atop the Terps’ assist throne with an emphatic 27-assist performance in the win against the Old Dominion Monarchs. 

The Terps relied on the Monarchs’ offensive errors, as well as their own balanced offensive performance powered by Wagner’s assists, on their way to a dominant 3-0 sweep over Old Dominion, their first win of the season. 

Prior to today’s matchup, Wagner had posted 58 total assists on the season against Coastal Carolina and North Carolina, combining with key players such as opposite hitters Ajack Malual and Haley Melby for productive performances, despite the final scores.

Coming in, the Monarchs were also seeking their first win of the season, leaning on junior outside hitter Elisa Maggi and redshirt senior middle blocker LeeAnne Lowery to lead the team. 

However, in Friday’s game, 20 errors through the first two sets overshadowed the individual performances from the Monarchs, including an eight-kill night from Maggi.

Wagner’s first collegiate season on the court has been an impressive one, which many expected considering she entered with dozens of high school accolades, including 2023 Classic 8 Conference Player of the Year and multiple MaxPreps honors. After posting 27 assists this game, her season total rose to 85. 

The Terps dropped both matchups last weekend to Coastal Carolina and North Carolina, in part due to slow starts on offense and defensive breakdowns as those sets progressed. This weekend, they started the strongest all season against the Monarchs, taking the opening two sets in unified fashion, and eventually closing out a tight third set.

The opening set saw a close, error-ridden matchup on both sides, but Wagner’s eight assists held the offense together amidst spread-out production, winning 25-23. 

Set two saw Wagner continue to produce on the court, tallying ten more assists. Both teams played cleaner, committing five fewer errors in the set, but coordination and another even spread of kills for the Terps earned them an impressive 25-16 second-set win.

Messy play from both sides prevented any true scoring runs, as multiple attack and service errors plagued the box score. The Monarchs accrued 28 total attack errors in the match, while the Terps managed to keep their count at 16. Malual and Melby kept up their team-leading kill counts as well, with Malual notching eight and Melby nine. 

The third set was much closer than the second, with Maggi and Monarchs junior setter Wiktoria Zagumny recording four kills and six assists, respectively. However, a late set surge of kills, all assisted by Wagner, pushed the Terps in front just enough to secure a 25-23 set victory, and the 3-0 match sweep.

The Terps avoided starting 0-3 for the first time in five years, and look to build on this win and Wagner’s impressive performance Saturday against William and Mary at 12:30 p.m.