Early in the second set of Maryland volleyball’s matchup against Illinois, coach Adam Hughes called for a timeout, trying to slow down the opposition’s torrent start.
After the Terps held a 2-1 edge in the frame, the Illini rattled off seven straight points to establish a firm lead. Maryland entered the contest coming off its first back-to-back wins since taking both games of a Sept. 14 double-header.
Following a tight first set, No. 4 Illinois’ second-set dominance set the tone for the remainder of the match. The Illini throttled the Terps throughout the contest Sunday, hitting .468 in the straight-sets victory (25-18, 25-9, 25-14).
“If you don’t have a good performance against someone that good, obviously things can slide pretty fast,” Hughes said.
The Illini made their defensive priority clear immediately. Nearly every time Maryland outside hitter Erika Pritchard went up for an attack, she was defended by both middle blocker Ali Bastianelli and setter Jordyn Poulter, two of Illinois’ top three blockers. The strategy worked, as the pair blocked four of Pritchard’s first five attacks and held her to two kills on the frame.
Despite the constant defensive pressure, Pritchard came found more success late, registering seven kills and just two errors the rest of the way.
Illinois’ smothering defense combined with its .458 hitting percentage proved too much for the Terps in the first set, as Illinois took the set 25-18.
Bastianelli played an almost perfect game from start to finish. In addition to helping to contain the Terps’ most dangerous hitter, Bastianelli also came up big on the offensive side, with 10 kills in 13 attempts.
Illinois took its dominance to another level in the second set. In the frame, the Illini added four blocks while hitting .577 and winning the set 25-9. It was the first time this season the Terps have failed to score at least 10 points in a set.
The Terps simply had no answer to the Illini’s explosive offense. The Terps had a season-low 22 digs and four blocks while allowing the Illini to hit .468, the best hitting percentage by a Maryland opponent this season by .128 points.
“They definitely have a really balanced offense,” outside hitter Liz Twilley said. “Poulter is really elite, so she can keep them in tempo.”
Maryland kept the third set close at the start, with the teams splitting the first 10 points to a 5-5 tie. But from there, the Illini took back over with seven straight points. After the run, the Illini coasted, taking the set 25-14.
The Terps are now 0-4 against top-ten opponents and have yet to win a set in those matches.
