Maryland volleyball sweeps No. 9 Purdue, 3-0

After winning the first two sets against No. 9 Purdue, Maryland volleyball needed just one more set win for a monumental victory.

Seeming to have picked up momentum towards the end of the third set, the Terps went on a 5-0 run to put themselves one point behind the Boilermakers, 21-20.

The next few points resulted in a back-and-forth exchange of leads. With the set tied at 23, Purdue called for a timeout. 

After the timeout, tensions were high from both sides, with Maryland looking to close out this match and Purdue hoping to avoid being swept. A strong kill from redshirt junior Anastasia Russ put the Terps one point away from taking the match, and despite Purdue’s efforts of taking the next point, freshman Laila Ivey and Russ put up a clean wall to block the Boilermakers efforts, resulting in the set and the match win.

The Terps found the lead early in the first set, 2-0, before the Boilermakers tied the score at three. Following a back-and-forth exchange of points, Maryland led Purdue by three going into the middle stages of the set.

Shortly after, with new-found momentum, the Boilermakers went on a 5-0 scoring run to take a 14-12 lead. Purdue’s run forced a Maryland timeout. Coming out of the timeout, three straight kill points from junior Sam Csire and Russ gave Maryland the lead, 15-14.

A few points later, a kill by graduate student Rainelle Jones made the score 17-15 in favor of the Terps, causing a Purdue timeout. 

Later in the set, a 3-0 run trimmed Purdue’s deficit down to one, 20-19. After being recently tied, a kill from Ivey helped the Terps regain the lead at 23-22. Another kill followed for the Terps, which forced a Purdue timeout. After the timeout, a service ace from junior Sydney Dowler gave Maryland the set win, 25-22. 

The Terps held the Boilermakers to a .167 hitting percentage in the first set.

Maryland used a 5-0 run to take a four point lead in the beginning stages of the second set, 8-4. Despite Purdue trying to close in on Maryland, back-to-back kills from Ivey led Maryland to a six point lead, 12-6, and a Purdue timeout. 

After the timeout, the Terps continued their lead after a kill from Csire, 15-9. On a 4-0 run, the Boilermakers cut the Maryland lead down to just two, forcing a Maryland timeout. The Terps went on a run of their own, extending their lead to 18-13.

Later, the Boilermakers, on a 3-0 run, trimmed their deficit down to five, 24-19. A Kill from Russ and a net violation from Purdue gave Maryland the second set win, 25-19. 

Only a few points into set three, a 3-0 run from Purdue gave the Boilermakers a 6-5 lead. Purdue extended its lead to three, forcing Maryland to call for a timeout. 

After the timeout, the tone of the set stayed the same, despite the Terps efforts to close in on the Boilermakers. Up 14-12, a 3-0 Purdue run put the Boilermakers up eight, forcing another Maryland timeout.

Coming out of the timeout, Purdue kept their lead, but a 5-0 Maryland run helped the Terps get back into the set. 

Maryland closed out the set strong, winning set three 25-23, clinching the match victory.

The win was the first top-ten road victory for Maryland since the Terps joined the Big Ten, and marked the third in a row for the Terps — all sweeps.

Maryland hopes to continue its winning ways next time out against Penn State.