RECAP: Maryland volleyball suffers 3-1 defeat to Michigan

Down two sets to one, Maryland volleyball looked for a late rally against the Wolverines to force a fifth set. 

Extending their run to 11-1, the Wolverines continued to dominate the Terps. Nearing the end of the set, another Maryland attack error gave Michigan a 21-8 lead. A kill by sophomore Erin Morrissey gave Maryland a point, but the Terps still found themselves trailing by double-digits.

The Terps continued to look for ways to keep the game alive after a kill by redshirt junior Anastasia Russ, but Michigan continued to have its way with Maryland. 

A kill from Michigan clinched the set win, 25-11, and the match win, 3-1.

“Honestly, it’s disappointing to lose,” senior Lexy Finnerty said. “It never feels good, but we were battling. We were in it until the fourth set, and it’s frustrating that we didn’t get the job done, because I thought we were playing well.”

The Wolverines opened up the first set with a 4-1 lead, as the Terps seemed to be off to a slow start. Quickly shaking off any jitters, the Terps went on a 4-0 run to tie up the score at six.

Entering the middle of the set, Maryland took an 11-9 lead after a powerful kill by freshman Laila Ivey. Another 4-0 run from the Terps opened up Maryland’s lead to 16-11, forcing a Michigan timeout. Following the timeout, the Wolverines pushed out a 3-1 run of their own to close in on Maryland lead, 19-15.

Despite the Terps looking to close out the first set, the Wolverines had something else in mind, as Michigan pushed out another run, led by senior Amber Beals. Maryland’s lead had been cut to just one, 23-22, which forced a Maryland timeout. 

After the timeout, Michigan went ahead, 24-23, but a clutch kill by Russ tied the score. Later, an effortless kill from Russ gave Maryland the 28-26 first set win. 

“I thought we did a good job standing tall and securing the first set win,” coach Adam Hughes said. “It was kind of back and forth, back and forth.”

Michigan took an early lead in the second set, but a block by junior Sydney Dowler halted the Wolverines’ momentum for a moment. Entering the middle of the set, the Wolverines extended their lead to 13-7.

Finding a bit of momentum, the Terps went on a 3-0 run, led by a kill from junior Sam Csire. An ace from Csire brought the Terps within one, 16-15, and they eventually tied the set at 17.

Shortly after, the Wolverines went on a 4-0 run to take a 21-17. A few points later, a kill by junior Allison Jacobs sealed the second set win for Michigan, 25-22. 

Maryland took a 4-2 start in the third set, and later, a kill from Russ helped the Terps extend their lead to 8-5. After Maryland’s lead extended to five, a Maryland attack error made it a two-point set, 16-14.

MIchigan responded with resilience, as a 5-0 run from the Wolverines resulted in a 22-20 lead, and a Maryland timeout. After the timeout, the Terps rallied back to tie the set at 23, but a kill from Michigan followed by a Maryland attack error gave the Wolverines the third set win, 25-23.

The fourth set started in a close battle, before a 3-0 run from the Terps gave Maryland a 6-4 lead. On a run of their own, the Wolverines took a 12-7 lead over the Terps, led by redshirt junior Hannah Grant. 

The Wolverines continued to dominate the Terps well into the fourth set, 17-8. A kill from the Wolverines on match point gave them the set and match wins.

In the loss, the Terps were held to a .108 hitting percentage, and were outscored by the Wolverines in kills, aces, and blocks.

“We had some chances in set[s] two and three, and just missed on a few plays,” Hughes said. “I thought they played really hard. They covered a lot of balls and they were able to turn some of the swings and transitions into better swings that we could get.”

Maryland will look for a rebound performance in its final home match of the regular season on Wednesday against No. 19 Purdue.