When Maryland volleyball outside hitter Erika Pritchard put the Terps ahead of Iowa, 19-18, in the third set, the team’s huddle had no big fist pumps or celebratory yells.
The Terps played with that kind of clinical efficiency all the way through their sweep of the Hawkeyes (25-19, 25-22, 25-21) at Xfinity Pavilion on Sunday.
Maryland dominated the first set. The Terps hit .250 with 15 kills while holding the Hawkeyes to a .067 clip and seven kills. The Terps only trailed twice, and never by more than one point, en route to a 25-19 victory.
The serve was a double-edged sword for the Terps in the first frame. They registered three aces and got the Hawkeyes out of position right away in rallies. But they also made six service errors, which played a major part in Iowa staying in the set.
The Terps, who managed just five total blocks Wednesday at No. 6 Illinois, ratcheted up their net defense. Maryland equaled that total before the halfway point of the second frame, was up to nine when the frame ended and finished the match with 12, a high for a three-match set this season.
Middle blocker Rainelle Jones led the Terps’ blocking game. The freshman matched her career high with eight rejections. Outside hitter Emma Schriner also set a career-high with five blocks.
After a tight start to the second frame, the Hawkeyes seemed to have broken it open, using a 9-1 run to take a 17-10 lead. But the Terps immediately returned fire, storming back to tie the set at 18. The Terps then ended the set on a 6-0 run to complete the comeback and take the set, 25-22.
The third set followed a similar script to the second, as the Hawkeyes jumped out to a 15-8 lead. But the Terps put together six straight points to bring the deficit to one and scored seven of the last 10 points to take the frame, 25-21.
Pritchard led the Maryland offense with 20 kills on 52 attacks. No other Terp had double-digit kills or more than 20 attacks.
