Maryland volleyball falls to Purdue, 3-2, after facing another two-set deficit
On Nov. 2, the Maryland volleyball team suffered a 3-1 defeat at Purdue after its comeback bid fell short. Coach Steve Aird wasn’t pleased with the effort from his players early in that contest, but he praised their battle back from a two-set deficit.
Maryland reached set point twice in the fourth frame but made errors each time to help the Boilermakers take the victory.
Three weeks later, the squad wanted to exact revenge on Purdue at Xfinity Pavilion.
But the Terps (11-20, 3-16 Big Ten) instead fell, 3-2, to the Boilermakers (18-12, 8-11) on Wednesday night in their penultimate match of the season.
Middle blocker Hailey Murray led the team with a career-best 15 kills to pair with three blocks. Outside hitter Liz Twilley, who has shown improved offensive consistency in recent weeks, chipped in with 14 kills.
Their efforts weren’t enough to guide the Terps to victory, however, as the Boilermakers used 17 kills from star middle blocker Danielle Cuttino.
Maryland failed to take advantage of a strong start to the first set. After it led, 14-12, to begin the frame, Purdue used a 13-6 run to win.
Twilley notched a team-high five kills in the opening frame, but just one of those came during the Boilermakers’ dominant stretch.
In set two, the Terps turned to Murray for an offensive spark and evened the score.
Throughout the season, Aird has tried to involve Murray more in the attack, and she made an important impression midway through the second set against Purdue. With Maryland down, 13-10, she notched kills on the squad’s next three points.
Outside hitter Gia Milana won the frame with a spike after the ball drifted toward her from the Boilermakers side of the net. She pumped both fists before joining her teammates in the huddle.
That energy did not translate to a successful third set, though.
Purdue jumped ahead, 15-7, and while the Terps cut that lead to three, the Boilermakers hung on for a 25-17 triumph.
Maryland sent the match to a decisive fifth frame by winning set four, 25-22, via a kill from senior middle blocker Ashlyn MacGregor.
But for the second time this year, the Terps couldn’t complete a two-set comeback over the Boilermakers, as they dropped the final frame, 15-9, to conclude their 20th defeat of the campaign.
