Maryland volleyball middle blocker Hailey Murray predicted an emotional matchup with No. 10 Penn State on Friday night.

After all, coach Steve Aird was an assistant with the Nittany Lions before taking the head coaching position at Maryland in 2014, and he helped recruit many of the Terps’ opponents. And with a record attendance at Xfinity Pavilion, the fans provided additional energy to the game.

That translated to a back-and-forth affair in which the Terps took the first frame but ultimately lost, 3-1, to the Nittany Lions.

“I wanted to beat them badly,” Aird said. “The best sign of respect possible is to play as hard as you can, coach your ass off and try to win. But I don’t think the feeling of it being weird [for me to face them] will ever go away.”

Outside hitter Gia Milana led the team with 20 kills. Opposite hitter Angel Gaskin added nine kills on 24 attacks.

On defense, the players were pleased with how they limited Penn State outside hitter Simone Lee, who leads the Big Ten with 4.25 kills per set this season. She notched 17 kills against the Terps, but had a meager .100 hitting percentage.

“That was part of our game plan the entire week,” Gaskin said. “We worked on blocking the two outsides, especially Simone because she’s been having a really good year.”

Aird added that Lee is “incredibly good,” and he was pleased with how the team defended her.

After the Terps (10-17, 2-13 Big Ten) built a three point lead in the first set with a 5-0 run, Aird got off the bench and produced a satisfied shout while clapping his hands toward his players.

Then, with a 24-20 lead, Milana held up one finger and told her teammates, “one more point” to signify how close the squad was to an unexpected set advantage.

Following a service error by libero Kelsey Wicinski, outside hitter Liz Twilley sealed an opening-frame victory with a kill from the left pin. The fans stood and cheered for the display.

Gaskin said the support from the crowd throughout the contest made a difference for the Terps.

“It was awesome because the whole program works really hard to bring fans,” Gaskin said. “It’s nice to feel all that support in our house and it’s a lot of motivation added to when you play.”

Penn State (19-7, 10-4) responded with an impressive second set. The Nittany Lions won the frame, 25-22, and did not trail after taking an early 3-2 lead.

Maryland could not slow Penn State’s attack in set three. Down 11-6, Twilley dove into a chair and knocked over an assistant coach to make a dig. But the Nittany Lions won the point on a kill from setter Bryanna Weiskircher, who had six kills and 41 assists in the contest.

The Terps went on to drop the set, 25-18.

Needing a fourth set victory to extend the match, Maryland showed improvement to begin the frame, as the squad remained close with the Nittany Lions. A kill from Murray on a slide play evened the score at 13.

But Penn State pulled away to win the frame, 25-18, and take the match. When the game ended on a service error from middle blocker Ashlyn MacGregor, the Tarpon Springs, Florida, native threw her head back in frustration.

The Terps made 11 service errors in the contest, something libero Kelsey Wicinski called a key factor in the loss.

“This is our gym, so we need to win the serve and pass game,” Wicinski said. “It’s that simple.”