Maryland volleyball secures season sweep over Iowa with 3-1 win

Up 2-1 entering the fourth set, Maryland volleyball looked to win the season sweep over Iowa.

Nearing the end of the set, the Terps trailed 20-19, but eventually tied things up at 21.

Not letting up, a kill by freshman Laila Ivey followed by an Iowa attack error put Maryland within one, 25-24.

With the crowd just as loud as the players, another kill by Ivey followed by an Iowa attack error gave Maryland the match win, 3-1, after a beautiful comeback in the fourth set, 27-25.

“I’m glad we were able to get the win, but you could tell there was some frustration that we didn’t play as clean as we probably could have,” coach Adam Hughes said. “We aren’t here just to win games, we want to be a tournament worthy team. And if we are going to do that we need to clean up some of those plays.”

The Terps missed two essential starters, junior Laila Ricks and graduate student Rainelle Jones.  

Maryland got off to a shaky start in the first set, down 5-1. However, the Terps quickly closed in on Iowa’s lead. A 3-1 run brought Maryland within two, 6-4. 

Another run from the Terps, this time 4-1, helped Maryland cut Iowa’s lead down to just one. An attack error from Iowa shortly after tied the set at nine. Iowa regained its lead after a kill from sophomore Toyosi Onabanjo, 13-10.

A service ace from sophomore Milan Gomillion brought the Terps within one, 13-12, but the Hawkeyes extended their lead to four after a 4-1 run. Iowa’s run forced a Maryland timeout. 

Following the timeout, a block assist from Ivey and redshirt junior Anastasia Russ trimmed Iowa’s lead to three, 20-17.

A 3-1 run from the Hawkeyes made it a 23-18 set, but a kill from junior Sam Csire cut Iowa’s lead back down to three, 23-20. Despite Maryland’s efforts of keeping the set close, a service error from the Terps gave Iowa the first set win, 25-21. 

The first set was close beyond just the final score, as Iowa recorded just one more kill and both teams registered just one ace.

Maryland took an early lead in the second set after a 3-0 run. The Terps extended their lead to four after an Iowa service error, 8-4. Back-to-back monster kills by Ivey followed by a service ace from sophomore Ellie Watson forced an Iowa timeout, with the Hawkeyes trailing by six, 12-6. 

Following the timeout, the Terps extended their lead to seven after another powerful kill by Ivey. The Hakweyes responded well, as multiple runs of their own brought them within three, but a swift and lethal kill from graduate student Gem Grimshaw brought Maryland’s lead back up to four, 17-13. 

Finding momentum, the Hawkeyes tied the set and then quickly took the lead after going on a 6-0 scoring run, 19-17, causing Maryland to call a timeout.

After the time out, an Iowa service error and a block by Csire re-tied the set, but the Hawkeyes took the lead again after a kill by sophomore Addie VanderWeide. Two kills from Russ and Ivey put Maryland back in front, 22-21. 

A few points later, kills from Russ and Ivey helped Maryland clinch the second set win, 25-23.

Now tied 1-1 in terms of sets, Maryland opened up the third with a 4-0 lead. A few points later, a kill from VanderWeide made it a four point set, 8-4, but Maryland answered back with a 3-0 run to extend its lead to seven.

Maryland maintained its lead as the set went on, and the Terps grew their lead to seven after an Iowa timeout, 17-10. Two errors from Iowa opened Maryland’s lead up to nine, 20-11, forcing another Iowa timeout.

Coming out of the timeout, kills from Csire and Watson extended Maryland’s lead to 11. A few points later, a kill from junior Sydney Dowler gave the Terps the third set win, 25-14. 

The fourth set started in a close battle, but a 4-0 run from Maryland forced an Iowa timeout. After the timeout, Iowa went on a 3-0 run of its own to cut Maryland’s lead down to just one, 8-7. 

Despite Iowa’s run, a loud kill from Csire helped the Terps extend their lead to 10-7. Later, a 4-1 run from the Hawkeyes cut Maryland’s lead down to one. Iowa continued to extend its run after a Maryland attack error, and a kill from senior Amiya Jones helped the Hawkeyes regain the lead, 17-15. 

Maryland bounced back strong, eventually tying the set at 21. The score stretched past 25 before a kill by Ivey followed by an Iowa attack error led to the Maryland set win, 27-25, and the match win, 3-1.

“Feels good [to win],” senior Lexy Finnerty said. “ Feels good to be able to sing the alma mater and just be there all together as a team. This is something we[‘ve] obviously been working for and so it’s good to get that first W, and keep pushing for the rest of the season.”

The Terps will look to continue their success when they hit the floor next on Friday at No. 9 Minnesota.