Maryland volleyball drops third straight; falls 3-1 to Rutgers

Photo by Grayson Belanger/Maryland Terrapins. Photo courtesy of Maryland Athletics.

Entering play, it was clear that Rutgers would bring an emphatic offensive attack, with five players tallying over 80 kills on the season.

As a pivotal third set sat at 24-20, Maryland volley sought a comeback on the heels of a 6-1 scoring run. But Rutgers junior middle blocker Zora Hardison blasted a kill to the middle of the floor, killing Maryland’s momentum for the rest of the match.

Maryland (7-6, 0-3 Big Ten) finishes its conference road trip 0-3, falling 3-1 to Rutgers (10-5, Big Ten 1-2) at Jersey Mike’s Arena in Piscataway, N.J, on Friday. Despite 23 errors, Rutgers’ offense came together in the final sets to run away with the victory.

The Scarlet Knights entered play ranked seventh in the Big Ten in kills, while leading the conference in service aces. They’ve outkilled opponents 633-480, with sophomore outside hitter Aspen Maxwell ranking third in the conference with 202 kills. 

Maxwell started quickly on Friday, recording three kills in each of the first two sets. Despite just a .143 hitting percentage, Maxwell continued to find open floor, accruing seven more kills in the game. 

Along with Maxwell’s team-high 13 kills, Rutgers saw three players record at least nine kills. Hardison and sophomore middle blocker Natalie Robinson notched 11 and nine kills, respectively. 

Hardison entered play as a potent blocker, leading the team with 61 and averaging 1.22 blocks per set. She continued her defensive prowess on Friday, tallying five blocks. Hardison’s offense was also prevalent, accruing 11 kills with just one error and finishing with a .556 hitting percentage. 

Despite the loss, the Terps found strong performances from senior opposite hitter Ajack Malual and sophomore middle blocker Duru Gökçen. Malual was heavily relied on in the final sets, recording 34 swings and capitalizing on 14 of them. Gökçen notched nine blocks and now leads the Big Ten with 69. 

The match marked both teams’ first game in the inaugural Discover Big Ten In-Season Challenge. The Challenge consists of five weekday games throughout October, which will count towards each team’s record. 

The Terps opened play with an 8-0 scoring run, powered by a string of consistent serves from redshirt freshman setter Lilly Wagner. The Terps’ defense was also better as Gökçen recorded two early blocks.

But the second half of the set was all Scarlet Knights and their high-power offense. Two successful challenges from head coach Caitlin Schweihofer, along with seven combined kills from Hardison and Maxwell, helped the Scarlet Knights chip away at a 17-6 deficit. 

The Terps’ blocking collapsed after a strong start, allowing the Scarlet Knights to attack the middle of the court. The Terps hit at just a .029 rate to end the set, and the Scarlet Knights relentlessly landed swings, outscoring the Terps 21-8 and securing the first set 27-25.

“We had a big lead in game one with a chance to take command of the match,” head coach Adam Hughes said. “We’ve got an experienced squad but [they’re] still learning how to capitalize, and today we missed the mark.”

The second set started much closer, but a 5-0 Terps scoring run gave them a 10-6 lead. Service errors plagued both teams, with the two teams amassing 29 throughout the match. But the Terps found ways to build momentum through cleaner play, committing only three errors in the entire set and hitting at a much-improved 33% clip.

The Terps continued to wear down the Scarlet Knights’ offense, winning a majority of longer rallies and forcing the Scarlet Knights to commit as many attack errors as kills. Senior outside hitter Ajack Malual recorded five kills in the set, aiding the Terps in claiming a 25-17 set victory. 

A 6-2 run for the Scarlet Knights gave them an 11-6 lead early in the third set, with the Terps committing three service errors in the process. The momentum continued in their direction, as the Scarlet Knights hit at a .450 hitting percentage and clung to an 18-11 lead.

Despite a 6-1 run from the Terps, the Scarlet Knights continued to dominate, eventually taking the third set, 25-20.

The Scarlet Knights dominated the fourth set. The team hit at an impressive 0.625 rate, committing zero errors, as the Scarlet Knights stormed to a 25-16 set victory and their first conference win of the season.

The Terps will now return to College Park to face Penn State in the Xfinity Center’s Main Arena. It remains to be seen whether the defense can contain a powerhouse Nittany Lions squad.