Maryland volleyball falls in straight sets to No. 7 Wisconsin

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

Heading into Sunday’s match, Maryland volleyball’s defense had struggled in conference play. 

Through five Big Ten games, the Terps had been outkilled 257 to 184, but had an opportunity to buck that trend against a Badgers team that ranked last in the Big Ten in kills.

But Maryland (7-9, 0-6 Big Ten) was unable to do that, as No. 7 Wisconsin’s (12-2, 5-1 Big Ten) offense tallied 44 kills and finished the game with a .380 team hitting rate en route to a straight set win at the Pavilion in College Park.

While the Badgers’ 611 kills rank last in the Big Ten,  their 14.55 kills per set rate leads the conference. Senior outside hitter Mimi Colyer — the team’s leading scorer this season — continued her offensive production, recording a match-high 12 kills and hitting at a .286 rate. Colyer tallied a season-low eight kills in the loss to Penn State on Friday, but rebounded on both sides of the ball, recording 11 digs as well. 

“Mimi’s their gun, and she’s going to take the most amount of swings,” head coach Adam Hughes said. “Every team is going to have their star.”

Colyer ranked sixth in the Big Ten with 213 kills entering the match, but saw a plethora of support from the left side of the court.

Redshirt sophomore outside hitter Una Vajagic entered play with 101 kills, hitting at just a .048 rate in the loss to Penn State. Against the Terps, Vajagic dominated on the far-left side of the net, consistently evading blocks at the net, finishing the game with 11 kills. Vajagic’s front row attack, paired with Colyer’s back row prowess, proved pivotal for the Badgers.

Multiple service errors opened the match from both teams, but the Terps’ offensive effort gave them an early 7-4 lead. Despite a slow start, the Badgers mounted a 6-1 scoring run to knot the set at 13. While Maryland junior outside hitter Haley Melby recorded three early kills, the Badgers responded just as quickly.

A 4-0 scoring run late in the set pushed the Badgers further in front, as Colyer consistently produced from the back row for five kills. A critical service error from senior opposite hitter Ajack Malual halted the Terps’ momentum, and a joust at the net secured a 25-20 set victory for the Badgers.

The Badgers’ offense was relentless in the first set, notching 14 kills and hitting at a .387 percentage on just two errors. Colyer, who recorded five kills, established clean swings and finished the set shooting at nearly a 45% clip. 

The Terps started the following set on a 3-0 scoring run, as junior middle blocker Eva Rohrbach tallied two early kills. But a 3-0 Badgers run instantly changed momentum, as Wisconsin attacked the left side of the net, where the Terps’ defense was not as strong. Six kills from that exact spot for Vajagic spearheaded the Badgers’ surge. 

The Terps’ offense consistently started the first two sets strong out of the gate, jumping out to five-point leads in each set, but was unable to continue their performance through the remaining points. The Badgers once again dominated the remainder of the set, with a 16-kill and a 25-19 set victory.

“I thought we made some growth [scoring early] for sure,” Hughes said. “Especially in game two.”

The Badgers opened the final set with a 9-2 scoring run, highlighted by consecutive serving aces from freshman outside hitter Madison Quest. The offense never slowed down, executing at a single set-high .380 rate, while the defense forced the Terps into a -0.071 hitting rate. The result was a commanding 25-12 set win.

“We need to value every chance we can, because they are great chances to grow,” Hughes said. “I just didn’t think they held strong long enough in game three.”