The Terrapins volleyball team walked into the locker room for intermission trailing University of Missouri, Kansas City 2-0 on Sept 6. The Terps, who had made it a preseason goal to go undefeated at home, were in jeopardy of being swept in their very first match at Comcast Pavilion.
Coach Tim Horsmon’s team wouldn’t lose another set, however. Buoyed by 13 blocked attacks over the final three frames, the Terps stormed back to defeat the Kangaroos, 3-2.
On Sunday, about 11 weeks after that game, the Terps faced similar circumstances. Trailing ACC rival North Carolina 2-0 at the break, the Terps fought back to force a fourth and fifth set. But this time, Horsmon’s team was unable to mount a comeback, as they fell just short in the fifth set.
Although the Tar Heels possess a more potent array of weapons than UMKC, the failed comeback attempt was emblematic of the Terps’ struggles over the past few months. But while acknowledging that the loss was painful, the Terps still found a way to capture a few positives from the defeat.
“I think you could wrap all of our season up in this final ACC home match,” Horsmon said. “I think as a coaching staff, we really want for our kids to break through this barrier. … They’re a great team, and I think by the end, it was level ground. And we can do that.”
Despite all of the misfortune the team has experienced this season, it has consistently been one of the most dominant blocking squads in the conference; the team’s 2.72 blocks per set rank second in the ACC.
The Terps defense stayed true to form Sunday, totaling a season-high 24 blocks, the second-highest mark posted in the conference this year.
“We blocked as well as probably as any match as you’ll see in the country,” Horsmon said.
Middle blocker Ashlyn MacGregor has emerged as the key to the Terps’ dangerous presence around the net. The freshman blocked 12 attacks Sunday after blocking another 12 Friday in a 3-2 loss at Pittsburgh.
“She’s becoming one of the better blockers in the conferences as a freshman,” Horsmon said. “She’s doing a lot of great things.”
Depsite the loss, the Terps were proud of how they performed. The team started the third set on a roll, taking a 21-13 lead. The Tar Heels, though, ended up tying the frame at 22.
Allowing the Tar Heels to capture the sweep in comeback fashion would have been a devastating blow to an already tough season.
But the Terps won the set, 28-26, before easily capturing the next frame, 25-19.
“It says that we have a lot of heart and fight and fire and will to win,” outside hitter Ashleigh Crutcher said. “If we didn’t, we would have given them that third set. We didn’t.”
After the home finale upset bid fell to the wayside, several Terps slumped in disappointment.
But once some time had elapsed after the defeat, the Terps allowed themselves to acknowledge the positives from their most recent setback.
“A win would have showed a lot of people what we’re doing and how we’re going about it,” Horsmon said. “They didn’t give up; they could’ve. It’s been a rough year in terms of a lot of things, and they didn’t give up and they played hard and we played great volleyball. I think anybody watching that would say that’s as good a volleyball as you’ll see in the country.”
