Maryland volleyball handily beat Michigan State on Nov. 7 to snap an eight-game skid. Looking to repeat that strong performance on Saturday, things were drastically different this time around.
The Spartans defeated the Terps in three sets at the Gilbert Pavillion in East Lansing. Maryland’s road struggles continued after a lopsided loss at Michigan on Thursday.
Michigan State’s front row dominated defensively, notching five more blocks than Maryland. Defenders anticipated shots well, especially during crucial moments. It was a stark change from the first meeting between the teams, when the Terps had three more blocks.
“It felt like we were playing from behind in a lot of ways. There was a lot of scramble plays that we weren’t getting quality swings on,” coach Adam Hughes said. “You end up giving them what we would consider free balls… where they’re back in system and the centers are being able to use their hands to keep tempo.”
Maryland and Michigan State entered the contest in first and 13th in the Big Ten in aces. But the teams tied in aces on Saturday as the Terps failed to gain a considerable advantage with their serve which they desperately needed.
Middle blocker Anastasia Russ shined early for the Terps.
[Maryland volleyball falls in straight sets to Michigan in Ann Arbor]
The graduate student crushed multiple kills down the center of the court to help keep the set close after an early Michigan State outburst. Fellow graduate student Samantha Schnitta added a few unreturned spikes all over the court to further tighten the deficit.
Hughes felt confident that Schnitta would bounce back after a six-kill effort at Michigan, where her hitting percentage was negative for just the second time this season. The Terps’ kills leader responded with a team-high nine, giving her 1,000 for her collegiate career between Ole Miss and Maryland.
“I thought she got off to a little bit better start today,” Hughes said. “ I thought she had a good practice yesterday, just being really diligent about what she wanted to accomplish. That’s Schnitta to a tee, that’s who she is.”
Michigan State notched four more blocks than Maryland in the first set and sent back spike attempts when the Terps nearly tightened the score on multiple occasions. The Spartans took the first, 25-19, on an Aliyah Moore rejection.
Michigan State’s back row helped it pull away in the second set.
Defenders constantly tracked shots around the court. It forced Maryland’s hitters to go for tighter angles and hit shots quicker, which they’ve struggled to do on the road the entire season. Nalani Iosia led the way with twelve digs to add to her Big Ten-leading 467.
[Maryland volleyball’s Katie Scherer has become an impact player in her freshman season]
“I thought they actually beat us at the strategy that we wanted to be good at. Last time we played them, we were really good in pursuit,” Hughes said. “We were able to find ways to get kills in transition and long rallies and we knew that that was going to be the focus… we were not able to do that.”
Facing a seven-point deficit, the Terps went on a massive run late as their hitters suddenly found holes in Michigan State’s defense. But Taylor Preston and Karolina Staniszewska got the Spartans out of trouble with back-to-back spikes to end the set, 25-22.
Both teams served much better to start the third set, which was tied at nine apiece. Then Michigan State pulled away.
Anderson, Taylor and Moore each had double-digit kills to lead the Spartan’s offense and help them pull away midway through the final set. They controlled most points, keeping the pressure on the Terps’ defense to play at a high level to give their own offense an opportunity. Michigan State hit .320 for the match.
Maryland’s offense collapsed, hitting just .067 in the third set. The Spartans took it, 25-18, as Moore recorded her 12th kill of the match. The straight-set defeat made it eight straight sets that the Terps have lost.
