Maryland volleyball’s block, attack struggle in straight-sets loss to No. 22 USC

Entering Thursday’s matchup, it seemed destined to be a defensive battle between USC and Maryland volleyball, the top two defensive units in the Big Ten.

Instead, Maryland’s defense went silent at the net, and attack errors continued to plague the Terps. 

Maryland fell in straight sets to No. 22 USC on Thursday at the Galen Center in Los Angeles, dropping the Terps to 1-3 in the Discover Big Ten In-Season Challenge and 1-8 in Big Ten play.

Before Thursday’s contest, Maryland (8-11, 1-8 Big Ten) and USC (14-5, 5-4 Big Ten) topped the Big Ten rankings in blocks, recording 198.5 and 185.5 total blocks, respectively. Sophomore middle blocker Duru Gökçen and junior middle blocker Eva Rohrbach rank first and second in the conference in total blocks, notching 93 and 92 for the Terps. 

Despite the promising trend, Maryland’s defense was nowhere to be found in Los Angeles. 

The Trojans recorded 12 blocks in the match, compared to the Terps’ season-low one-block night, shutting down the conference-best block at the net and continuously attacking weak points in the center of the court. Their fast-paced offensive scheme was undeterred by the Terps’ defense, leading to multiple blowout wins.

In addition to unexpected defensive struggles, the Terps continued to struggle with offensive errors. In their last match against Michigan State, the Terps committed 25 attack errors, negating a season-high 21-block night for the team. 

On Thursday, the Terps committed more attack errors (25) than kills (21) while the Trojans played a clean match, notching 40 kills on just five attack errors.

The Trojans started strong, jumping out to a 6-2 lead thanks to a 4-0 scoring run. USC recorded seven kills in the first 12 points of the match, opening play with a .545 hitting percentage. The Trojans continued to produce offensively, overwhelming the Terps’ defense with consistent swings to the center of the court, leading to a 15-9 advantage.

Offense was a major struggle on the Terps’ side of the net during the first set, as the team recorded just six kills and eight attack errors, leading to a -.083 hitting percentage. Only three players recorded a kill for the team, while the Trojans collected 15 kills with just one error. 

The Terps also notched zero blocks in the opening set, erasing the advantage they held coming into the match, with the Trojans tallying three blocks. Freshman opposite hitter Abigail Mullen led the Trojans’ offense with five kills, hitting at a .625 rate and spearheading a 25-12 dominant first set victory for USC.

The second set opened with the Trojans’ defense flourishing, recording 3.5 blocks in the first 10 points of the set and building an 8-2 lead. The Terps began the second set with a -.455 hitting percentage through 15 points, notching just one kill on six errors.

The Trojans notched one more block in the set, while the Terps were unable to record a single block through the first two sets. Redshirt sophomore outside hitter London Wijay tallied four kills in the set, adding to an 11-kill, one-error effort for the Trojans’ offense.

Dominant on both offense and defense, the Trojans stormed to a 25-14 set victory, fittingly sealed by sophomore middle blocker Mia Tvrdy’s third block of the match.

The Terps gained their first lead of the day early in the third set, but the blocking disparity continued to undermine any momentum they built. USC quickly moved back in front, 8-6. Early on, the Terps were able to limit errors, committing just one through the first 14 points.

Despite the Terps staying close, a 4-0 scoring run for the Trojans blew open the middle of the set, including two critical kills from Wijay. The third set was the first set that saw the Terps notch more kills than attack errors, but defensive blunders negated the effort. 

In the strongest set for the Terps all match, they recorded nine kills, including redshirt sophomore outside hitter Olivia Ruy’s five-kill onslaught. However, the Trojans responded with 14 kills of their own, sealing a 25-18 set victory and a dominant sweep at home.

Maryland’s next matchup, No. 25 UCLA, presents a different defensive challenge. The Bruins rank second in the Big Ten in digs with 937. With the Terps struggling on both sides of the ball, Saturday’s contest seems to be a crucial rebound opportunity for the young team as the end of the season approaches.