Maryland volleyball swept in fifth straight contest, loses to No. 24 Penn State in straight sets

Photo courtesy of Maryland Athletics.

Maryland volleyball’s only sets won against ranked opponents this season came against then-No. 16 Penn State back on Oct. 5, when the Terps took the Nittany Lions to five sets, nearly completing the upset from down two sets.

Maryland had no chance of a comeback on Sunday. Penn State continued their historical dominance over the Terps, silencing Maryland’s struggling offense in a one-sided contest. 

Maryland (8-20, 1-17 Big Ten) was swept for the fifth consecutive match, losing to No. 24 Penn State (17-11, 11-7 Big Ten) at Rec Hall in University Park, Pennsylvania. The loss is the team’s eleventh straight – the Terps’ last victory came against Rutgers at home on Oct. 15. 

The opening set started much more promising for Maryland compared to their last meeting with the Nittany Lions, trailing 12-11 at one point off a 3-0 scoring run. However, Penn State’s consistency allowed them to run away with the set, notching 16 kills at a .382 rate on just three attacking errors.

The Nittany Lions out-blocked the Terps five to zero in the first set, prevailing on both sides of the ball. Maryland also made seven attack errors in the set – the same amount as the opening set from when the two teams played earlier this season. The end result was a slight improvement from last time – the Terps lost the set 25-19, as opposed to the 25-16 result on Oct. 5. 

The second set opened with an 8-1 Penn State lead, and Maryland was never able to close the gap. The Terps’ offense collected 10 kills on four errors and finished the set hitting .207, but continued to be overpowered by the Nittany Lions’ high-power attack. Penn State claimed the 25-15 set victory off a 17-kill, .577 hitting percentage performance.

The Nittany Lions dominated the third set as well, jumping out to a 16-7 lead midway through. Maryland tallied 10 kills on three errors, leading to a .200 hitting percentage, but were never able to swing the momentum of the match – Penn State took the final set, 25-14, to pick up the sweep.  

The third set on Sunday was completely opposite to the last head-to-head matchup. There, the Terps snagged the set 25-19, notching 13 kills and forcing seven Nittany Lions errors. Penn State played a much cleaner third set on Sunday, recording a match-high 19 kills and finishing the match with a .449 hitting percentage.

Sunday’s loss was the third time this season Maryland played a rematch, but the first time they performed worse. Against Rutgers and Indiana, the Terps were able to drastically improve their production, even picking up its only conference win against Rutgers.

Maryland will end the 2025 campaign winless on the road against Big Ten teams, with only three sets won in those matches. Penn State has not lost a match against the Terps  in nearly half a century – they’ve won 34 straight, dating back to 1979. 

Washington and Oregon will be Maryland’s final two opponents before wrapping up the season, both in front of the home crowd. The Terps will be looking for a statement win to close out the year.