Samantha Schnitta, jumping to drill a spike in the first set against Illinois, instead hit the ball well beyond the baseline. Maryland volleyball’s leading killer’s error sealed a tight opening-set loss.
The Illini controlled the rest of the match, defeating Maryland, 3-0, at Huff Hall on Sunday. It was the Terps’ fourth consecutive straight-set loss amid a difficult road stretch.
In a battle of top serving teams, the Terps had five more aces. But Illinois’ ability to otherwise win points proved to be a key difference. Its offense hit .302 while Maryland’s hit .110. Illinois dominated at the net with 12 blocks — an area that Maryland has consistently struggled with during conference play.
“In some ways, I thought we played pretty well tonight. Obviously not well enough,” coach Adam Hughes said. “Just have to be a little bit more consistent human by human and overall.”
Maryland’s defense shined in the opening set — it was seemingly all over the court, covering up areas where spikes were directed.
Defensive specialist Jonna Spohn dove to keep a ball in play, one of the Terps’ 39 digs on the afternoon. Schnitta capitalized by rocketing one right at an Illini defender. It deflected off her straight and bounced to the floor, giving Maryland a 10-5 lead.
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“We had a few opportunities to make some more digs,” Hughes said. “I thought the staff put us in some pretty good positions to make some plays, and missed maybe six or seven balls that I’d love to have back.”
Back-to-back kills by Illinois outside hitter Raina Terry later in the set gave it a one-point edge. Schnitta recorded a crucial ace to tie the score in the set’s later stages. But Illinois closed a few points later when Terry rocketed a spike well beyond the baseline.
The Illini’s momentum continued into the second set. They took the first five points and caused a Terps timeout as they sought to alter the course of the set.
But the struggles exacerbated. Maryland frequently hit spikes and served well outside the court. Illinois middle blocker Cari Bohm extended its lead to 10 on a kill.
Maryland, the Big Ten’s ace leader, found its serve midway through the set to close the gap. Setter Sydney Dowler hit back-to-back aces as the Terps cut the lead down to seven.
Illinois setter Brooke Mosher recorded a few aces of her own, extending the Illini lead to 12. Maryland responded with a five-point run after kills by Bryant, Sam Csire and Anastasia Russ. Bryant led the Terps with 10 kills.
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Back-to-back Maryland errors gave Illinois a nine-point lead. A few points later, Terry crushed a spike across the court that went unreturned, sealing the set, 25-17.
Illinois outside hitter Averie Hernandez clobbered a spike that went off multiple Terps. It gave the Illini a quick three-point edge in the final set. But Maryland responded.
Consecutive Sam Csire kills followed by a Spohn ace evened the score at 12. Maryland built up a 19-15 lead as it sought to win a set for the first time since Oct. 5.
But Illinois went on a 6-0 run as Mosher dominated with her serve — she recorded two aces during the run. Terry drilled a spike that ricocheted off a Maryland defender and went out-of-play, sealing the match.
“The team really wants it,” Hughes said. “They still really are battling and it’s just a couple near misses, and that’s challenging, so we’ve got to keep focusing on it.”
