Maryland volleyball sweeps doubleheader against San Diego State and Sacramento State

After narrowly dropping the second set 25-23, Maryland entered the third set in a 1-1 tie against Sacramento State in the second match of its doubleheader.

After going down 17-13, the Terps responded well, closing out the set strong, 12-5 for the third set win to take a 2-1 set lead.

The Terps kept their momentum rolling, winning a tight fourth set, 28-26, to down the Hornets for their second match win of the day.

Maryland volleyball started off the Aztec Classic with a match against San Diego State Friday afternoon, the first of two matches of the day for the Terps.

Maryland began the first set against San Diego State with a 5-0 run. The Terps kept this momentum all the way through the set one with a resounding win against the Aztecs, 25-14.

It was a strong hitting set for Maryland, recording 14 kills. Junior Sam Csire and freshman Laila Ivey played big roles, as the two combined for 11 kills in the first set. 

The second set between the Terps and the Aztecs got competitive fast with the score neck-and-neck. The plays were long, but eventually, the Aztecs came out as the winner of the second set, 25-21.

More close play followed the Terps to the third set. At one point towards the end of set three, the Terps trailed by one point, 20-19. Looking for an answer, multiple service errors by the Aztecs and two kills committed by Ivey led the Terps on a 6-0 run, ultimately taking set three, 25-20.

Maryland took the fourth and final set against the Aztecs with an offensive-dominated performance, 25-18. Leaders in this performance included Csire, Ivey, and junior Laila Ricks.

Csire recorded a season high of 17 total kills against the Aztecs, leading the Terps. Redshirt junior Anatasia Russ tied her season high with seven blocks. 

Numerous Terps had career days. Sophomore Erin Engel set a career best of three aces, sophomore Milan Comillion set a career best of five aces, Ricks set a career best of 11 kills, and Ivey set a career best of 13 kills.

Maryland faced off against Sacramento State in the second match of its Friday doubleheader.

Early on, the Terps and the Hornets were off to a steady start with neck-and-neck scores. A service ace from junior Bridgete Smith followed by two attack errors by Sacramento State put the Terps on a 3-0 run, extending the Terps’ early lead to 6-3.

The Terps continued to run their way through the first set, going on a 4-0 run to extend the score to 21-14. 

The Hornets responded with a run of their own to trim their deficit down to four, but an attack error from them gave the Terps a point and made it only a three point game, 22-17, causing the Hornets to call a timeout.

After the timeout, the Terps picked up where they left off going on a 3-0 scoring run for the 25-17 set win.

The second set started out as a tight battle. A 3-0 Hornets run midway through the set extended their lead to 14-9.

Trying to cut the lead, two kills from Maryland brought the lead back down to just three points, 15-12. Thanks to three errors from the Terps, the Hornets brought their lead back up to five, 19-14, forcing a Maryland timeout.

After the timeout, the Hornets put two more up on Maryland, but an Ivey kill and two service aces from Engel cut Sacramento State’s lead to four points, forcing a Hornets timeout. 

Nearing the end of the second set, the Hornets got just one point away from winning the set. However, the Terps found strength and cut the Hornets lead to one with three attack errors and a kill by Ricks. A kill by Sacramento State’s Cailtlin Volkmann cut Maryland’s hopes short, giving the Hornets the second set victory.

The Hornets held an early 3-1, but the Terps picked up momentum to go up 8-4. Sacramento State answered with a 4-0 run of its own, tying the score, 8-8. 

With the Hornets taking the lead again quickly, a kill by Russ followed by two Sacramento State attack errors cut the Hornets lead to just one, 17-16, and a kill by Ricks quickly tied the set, 17-17.

With the Terps and the Hornets facing off in multiple ties, an attack error by the Hornets and a kill by Csire gave Maryland the lead for the first time since the beginning of the set. Maryland kept the lead, ultimately taking this third set with a score of 25-22. 

The fourth set started in a tight battle with both teams playing hard, 4-4. Going on a 4-0 run due to a kill, service ace, and two attack errors from the Hornets, the Terps found themselves in the lead, 8-4. The Hornets quickly found themselves going on a 5-0 run from five attack errors performed by Maryland, 9-8. 

Aggressive plays from both sides resulted in neck-and-neck points, and the set later was tied, 17-17.

With the set coming to the end soon, and still in a tight battle, the Terps found themselves with the lead, 23-22. The lead was cut by the Hornets and resulted in back-to-back ties for the next couple of points, until two service errors by the Hornets broke the everlasting back-and-forth, giving the Terps two points to win it all, ending their first day of The Aztec Classic in a two game sweep.