Maryland volleyball falls to North Carolina after strong first set, drops to 0-2

The Tar Heels held a 42-20 all-time advantage over the Terps entering today’s game, and after not meeting for over a decade, they continued their historical dominance. 

Junior setter Zoe Behrendt and outside hitter Safi Hampton could not be stopped by Maryland’s defense, as North Carolina defeated the Terps 3-1 in Conway, S.C. Behrendt’s 26 assists, combined with Hampton’s 14 kills, slowly chipped away as the match progressed, despite impressive performances from setter Lilly Wagner and right-side hitter Ajack Malual.

The first set saw the two teams trade blows, with 17 kills through the first 28 points. Tennessee transfer Malual’s seven kills drove a relentless Terps offensive barrage that tallied 18 kills in total, overpowering the Tar Heels’ 14 kill effort and securing a 25-21 set victory. Malual recorded 16 kills, leading the team for the second straight match after tallying 12 against Coastal Carolina.

Wagner tallied nine assists in the first set, and continued her offensive support through the second set, recording eight more assists. The redshirt freshman posted 29 total assists, surpassing her team-leading 27 in her first match with the Terps against Coastal Carolina. The Tar Heels continued to hammer out kills, though, firing 17 past the Terps’ defense. 

Behrendt and Hampton recorded five assists and seven kills respectively, working together to overwhelm the Terps and take set two 25-17, evening the match at one set apiece.

An even spread of contributions kicked off the third set, but multiple errors from the Terps gave the Tar Heels a 12-7 lead early. Despite strong efforts from junior setter Annika Sokol and Malual late, Tar Heels setter Behrendt continued her strong play, notching nine assists and pushing the Tar Heels to a second straight 25-17 win. 

Hampton recorded three more kills in the third set, bringing her match total to 13 through three sets. A 0.333 hitting percentage for the Tar Heels led to 16 more kills for the team, overwhelming the Terps and shifting the momentum further in their direction.

Storming out to a 6-1 advantage, the Tar Heels entered set four in dominant fashion. Errors from the Terps continued to follow the team, despite Wagner picking up eight more assists, and a string of four aces from the Tar Heels proved fatal. All three of the Tar Heels’ victories finished with a 25-17 score, and the Terps dropped to 0-2 to start the season.

Newcomers Malual and Wagner showed up for the Terps, but Behrendt and Hampton’s experience guided the Tar Heels to a season-opening victory. The Terps will play Old Dominion next Friday at 3:30 p.m., looking for their first victory of the year.