Maryland volleyball got off to a flying start in Big Ten play, dominating Rutgers in straight sets Wednesday.
That didn’t continue into its Saturday night match, though, when No. 7 Minnesota exhibited the gulf in class between the underclassmen-heavy Terps and an annual NCAA tournament challenger. Maryland continued its solid blocking output and service game but was done in by its worst hitting percentage of the year.
Minnesota swept Maryland (19-25, 19-25, 18-25) in the Terps’ first road match of the Big Ten slate.
Neither team could establish dominance in the beginning of the first set. The squads traded small runs until Minnesota took a timeout with Maryland ahead, 18-16. Off the stoppage, the Gophers went on a 9-1 run to seal the first frame.
The Gophers carried their momentum into the second frame, rushing out to a 6-1 lead. After coach Adam Hughes called for a timeout, the Terps regained their footing, drawing within two points midway through the second set.
Once Minnesota stretched its lead to 17-11, Maryland took its second timeout, attempting to slow the Gophers’ run. The Terps managed to close the gap to 21-19 before the Gophers closed the set out with four straight points, capping off the set with back-to-back blocks.
Minnesota jumped out to another resounding lead in the third set, registering two blocks and six kills in the first 10 points to establish an 8-2 advantage. That forced Hughes to call for a timeout, which seemed to power a run of four consecutive scores for the Terps to narrow the scoreline.
But the Gophers regained control and cruised to a 25-18 set victory to clinch the sweep.
Minnesota’s defense stymied Maryland’s offense throughout the contest. The Gophers recorded nine blocks and 52 digs, holding the Terps to a season-low .089 hitting percentage. It was the first time this season Maryland has hit under .100 during a match.
Despite the lackluster numbers, Hughes came away from the loss fairly happy with his offense.
“We had some near misses,” Hughes said. “Sometimes you look at the stats and the numbers don’t show it … but sometimes you barely miss and you can’t say it was a bad swing.”
Maryland’s defense held its own with 49 digs and nine blocks, but the Terps were unable to overcome their poor offensive performance.
Libero Allegra Rivas led all players with 23 digs, a tally Hughes described as “pretty absurd.” Middle blocker Katie Myers paced the Terps’ defensive front line with five blocks.
Despite the Terps’ best efforts, the Gophers put up solid offensive numbers, hitting .252 with 49 kills.
“They’ve got a really good setter who can spread the ball around,” Myers said. “But we’ve just got to keep trying, especially as middles, to do our jobs.”
