Maryland volleyball outclassed by Michigan in seventh straight conference loss

Photo courtesy of Kevin Snyder/Maryland Terrapins

Entering play, Maryland volleyball boasted the second-worst offensive production in the Big Ten, notching just 990 kills at a 0.179 rate.

The offensive struggles once again crept up on Maryland against Michigan, while an all-too-familiar battle with errors plagued any attempts at building momentum.

Maryland dropped its seventh straight contest, this time in straight sets to Michigan (17-8, 7-7 Big Ten), as the offense went silent at the Pavilion on Sunday against a Wolverines offense that ranks fourth in the conference. 

Maryland (8-16, 1-13 Big Ten) fell to Ohio State in five sets on Saturday, but the offense saw a return to form. Recording 56 kills at a .190 rate, two players on the squad reached double-digit kills, with senior opposite hitter Ajack Malual spearheading the effort with 16 kills.

However, the offense could not carry over the production, accruing just 24 kills and recording 25 attack errors for the fourth time in seven games.

The Terps have been plagued with faulty swings all season, and in the last seven games, they’ve accrued 25 attack errors in four of them. The errors have translated to the Terps’ offense reaching a .200 hitting percentage in just one of those matches.

Coach Adam Hughes sent out a revamped starting lineup, with junior setter Annika Sokol and sophomore pin hitter Katie Scherer both starting on the court, while Malual came off the bench.

“In the past, six-two has been something that boosts us,” Hughes said. “That was the first time we tried to see if we could start that way and take one.”

Michigan’s offensive power was on full display in the first set, notching four early kills, while the Terps opened play hitting at -.600 on three errors. Offensive woes for the Terps continued throughout the set, with junior outside hitter Haley Melby being the only player to record a positive hitting percentage.

The Terps finished the set hitting -.040 on seven kills and eight errors, as Malual did not record a kill on four attempts. Senior middle blocker Serena Nyambio was a machine at the net for the Wolverines, smothering the Terps’ offense en route to four blocks. 

The seven-kill set for the Terps is their lowest total since recording just five in the third set against Indiana on Oct. 31. 

Michigan entered set two swinging, taking advantage of three early Terps errors to build a 9-3 lead, and continued to dominate. A -.029 hitting percentage for the Terps defined another tough set for the team that saw them struggle with both offensive production and defensive reception. The Wolverines accrued seven service aces through the first two sets, compared to just one for the Terps.

“I mean, you can’t win if you don’t handle the ball well,” Hughes said. “I thought [Michigan] did a really good job of targeting the ball to a certain location.”

Ending the set on a 5-0 run, the Wolverines recorded 10 kills on just three errors in the 25-10 dominant victory. The Terps, on the other hand, once again notched just seven kills on eight errors. 

The Wolverines’ ball placement on attacks led to many of the Terps’ deficits, as the squad was forced to scramble on a majority of the points in the second set. Against Ohio State on Saturday, the Terps were able to capitalize on these chaotic rallies, but the trend did not translate against Michigan. 

Another large lead emerged for the Wolverines, this time a 20-8 gap, while the Terps, at one point, had more attack errors than points scored. A 5-1 scoring run in the middle of the set was the largest for the Terps all match, but the 12-point deficit proved too large to overcome. 

Fittingly, a Scherer attack error ended the set 25-15, securing a dominant sweep for the Wolverines and another Big Ten loss for the Terps.

As the season begins to wrap up, what may seem like a lackluster showing on paper for the 2025 squad has shown some promise in the locker room for future years. 

The young team has taken teams like Penn State and Michigan State to five sets, and shown an ability to fight for points, even when down big. After losing eight seniors, Hughes has no concerns about the squad’s ability to be contenders. 

“We’ve had a few big five-set losses this season,” Hughes said. “[Younger players] are going to keep growing and building for the future, and I have a lot to look forward to.”

Maryland will go back on the road to face No. 9 Purdue on Friday and No. 18 Indiana on Sunday, still searching for a defining win.