Preview: Maryland volleyball prepares for tough bout against No. 9 Purdue

Maryland volleyball (11-8) gets set to face off against No. 9 Purdue (15-2), in its first of two meetings of the season.

The Terps enter off of another sweep, this time against Northwestern for their second win of Big Ten play.  

In a close first set, Northwestern held a slim 16-14 lead. A Maryland 6-0 run near the end of the set gave the Terps the first set win, 25-22.

Despite Northwestern outscoring the Terps in kills, Maryland recorded an astounding .351 hitting percentage. 

The Terps started the second set with an early lead, 10-7, and led the Wildcats by seven at one point. It wasn’t until the middle did the Wildcats begin to catch up with the Terps to create a close set. Despite the Wildcats efforts, the Terps rose victorious at the end of the set, winning 25-22. 

Maryland held Northwestern to a .194 hitting percentage in the second set.

Maryland gained a small lead early in the third set, and despite momentum being picked up by Northwestern, held on for the set win, 25-16, and the match win, 3-0.

The Terps outscored the Wildcats in blocks (13), and registered a .294 hitting percentage. 

Graduate student Rainelle Jones continued her blocking prowess, notching four against Northwestern. Jones’ 1.76 blocks per set average is the best among all Division One players.

Jones has played a key role as to why Maryland enters as the best blocking team in the nation, averaging 3.35 per set.

Purdue enters off a 3-2 win against Indiana.

Indiana won the first set, 26-24, but Purdue responded with a crucial 25-22 win in set two to tie the match at a set apiece. 

Indiana comfortably dominated and won the third set by ten, 25-15.

In hopes of keeping the match alive, the Boilermakers started the fourth set strong, up 3-2. A Purdue 10-0 run in the middle stages of the set helped the Boilermakers extend their lead to a wide margin. Purdue closed out the set strong, winning 25-15 to force a fifth-and-final set. 

Purdue held a slim 6-5 lead in the fifth set before going on a 4-0 run to break the set open. Purdue won the set 15-10, clinching the match victory.

Purdue held Indiana to a .175 hitting percentage, compared to its .192 percentage. 

Purdue enters as one of the best hitting teams in the conference, ranking fourth in hitting percentage (.259). Despite that, not a single Boilermaker ranks in the top ten in the conference in that category.

Freshman Eva Hudson has had a phenomenal start to her career at Purdue. The Indiana native leads the conference in both points (332) and points per set (5.27).

“I give Purdue a lot of credit,”  coach Adam Hughes said. “I don’t think people respect what Purdue was going to be this year. I think the coaches poll probably had them sixth or something, and here they are battling this early in the season for potentially winning the Big Ten.”

The match on Sunday will start at 1 p.m. and will take place at the Holloway Gymnasium in West Lafayette.