Oregon’s Noemie Glover rose over the net to drill a spike across the court and seal an ultralight set. The sophomore delivered to put Maryland volleyball in a two-set deficit.
The Ducks cruised past the Terps in the final set. No. 11 Oregon topped Maryland in straight sets at Matthew Knight Arena on Friday, 3-0. The result marked the Terps’ fifth consecutive match where they failed to secure a set.
Both offenses started aggressively.
The first four points each ended on kills. Pin hitter Samantha Schnitta got off to a quick start with three kills in the first eight points. Maryland’s (10-10,1-8 Big Ten) leading killer drilled spikes all around the court, putting immediate pressure on the Ducks.
Libero Lilly Gunter hit a serve that glimpsed the net and went unreturned, giving the Terps a 7-2 lead right after an Oregon (15-3, 7-2 Big Ten) timeout. Outside hitter Mimi Colyer’s third kill of the opening set trimmed that deficit to three. The Ducks leading killer finished with a match-high 20 kills on a .500 hitting percentage.
“Colyer is a very special player and she was scoring a lot from the back row and was doing it in a variety of ways,” coach Adam Hughes said. “I thought we did a pretty good job with the rest of the team, but she had a special match.”
Maryland looked comfortable early in a hostile environment, taking advantage of Oregon errors. Six different players notched a kill in the first set. But a four-zero Oregon run tightened the set as Maryland suddenly struggled to end points. Hughes called timeout.
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Oregon defeated Hughes in a national semifinal in 2012 when he was a part of Penn State’s coaching staff. He won three national championships with the Nittany Lions.
Middle blocker Eva Rohrbach drilled a serve past Oregon defenders that barely stayed in, tying the score at 19. But the Ducks took six of the next eight points to seal the set.
Maryland got off to a quick start offensively in the second set. Junior Ally Williams crushed a serve that an Oregon defender couldn’t control, erasing an early Oregon edge.
The Ducks offensive also shined early. Michelle Ohwobete was at the forefront of that effort, recording back-to-back kills followed with an ace. That extended the lead to 11-7 to prompt a Maryland timeout.
The Terps responded out of the break.
Outside hitter Sam Csire notched a kill and ace to trim the deficit. A few points later, Rohrbach dumped a shot just between multiple defenders to tie the set. Oregon responded, winning four points in a row in a short span.
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Maryland, the Big Ten leader in aces, has frequently found an advantage through its serve. That wasn’t the case Friday. The teams served nearly evenly throughout, with just two aces separating them.
Setter Sydney Dowler crushed a serve down the sideline that a diving defender couldn’t return, giving Maryland a key two-point edge. But Csire clobbered a serve into the net a few points later that put the Terps in a one-point hole. Glover took advantage with a kill to end the set.
“I thought we just missed too many serves at really unfortunate times,” Hughes said.
While the score was tied at four as the teams battled for each point early in the third, Maryland’s offense began to struggle. The Ducks looked energetic, constantly finding ways to extend points. Libero Mackenzie Morris played a major role in that effort with 16 digs to lead all players.
Oregon went on an eight-zero run to give it a commanding lead and cause a Maryland timeout. That run proved to be fatal for the Terps, marking the last of 14 lead changes. The Ducks recorded a few blocks in that span — an area they dominated with five more blocks as the Terps struggles at the net continued.
Colyer crushed a spike down the middle of the court which the Terps couldn’t return. A few points later, she demolished a shot which ricocheted out-of-play off a Maryland defender, sealing Oregon’s victory.
“We’re trying to be aggressive against a top 10 team at home,” Hughes said. “We knew we had to kind of bring it, and just weren’t able to find the right balance.”
