When Maryland volleyball outside hitter Liz Twilley slammed home the kill to beat Ohio State in five sets, the Terps streamed off the bench and mobbed her in front of the net.
The shot capped off a whirlwind match, which saw the Terps lose a 2-0 lead in sets and a 6-1 lead in the fifth frame before finally burying the Buckeyes for their first five-set victory of the season.
In the first set, Maryland sprinted out to a 4-0 lead, forcing Ohio State to take a timeout. After the stoppage, the Buckeyes battled back to take a 12-11 lead, punctuating the comeback with a 5-0 run including three consecutive kills by middle blocker Jordan Fry.
The Terps stayed error-free until late in the first set, when outside hitter Erika Pritchard was blocked on consecutive plays to even the frame at 17. The blocks were the first by either team.
The Terps snatched back the momentum right back with a kill by Pritchard followed by back-to-back service aces by middle blocker Katie Myers. From there, Maryland never let the Buckeyes back within two and took the set 25-22.
Ohio State was in control to start the second frame, rushing out to a 10-4 lead. The Terps made their run midway through the set, tying the match at 17 with six consecutive points, including three unforced Buckeye errors and two Maryland blocks. The Terps ended the frame on a 14-5 run, taking a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.
“We were dead to rights in that second set,” Hughes said. “But we went on two good serving runs to get ourselves back into it.”
Maryland had only two aces in the second set, but used good serves to get Ohio State out of position early in points.
In the third set, Ohio State once again dominated early, running out to a 10-2 lead. Unlike the previous set, the Buckeyes held onto their advantage, winning 25-15.
The Buckeyes continued their early-set dominance in the fourth frame, taking a 13-6 lead. The Terps battled back, closing the gap down to 22-21, but were unable to complete the comeback, dropping the set 25-22.
In the fifth set, the Terps took a 6-1 lead before the Buckeyes stormed back to tie the frame at 8. From there the teams swapped points before Maryland, aided by two Ohio state service errors, ended the match on a 6-2 run, capped off with Twilley’s spike.
“It was definitely a great feeling. I saw Nicole push it, she gave me a great ball and I saw an open net so I just wanted to stay aggressive and go get it,” Twilley said.
Middle blocker Rainelle Jones, often matched up with Ohio State’s imposing 6’6 opposite hitter Vanja Bujilic, led the Terps defense with a career-high eight blocks.
Jones said that her success came from listening to her coaches and teammates and getting lots of repetitions in practice to hammer home her fundamentals.
Maryland had one of its best serving matches of the season, with a season-high 14 aces against 11 errors.
“They did a good job this week making adjustments, trying to change up paces,” Hughes said. “That was a focus this week and I think you saw the results.”
