It was near the end of the fourth set against Wake Forest when Maryland rightside hitter Ajack Malual leapt up and struck her 21st kill of the afternoon against Wake Forest, a new career high for the senior.
Despite the accomplishment, Malual and the other Terps couldn’t do much celebrating.
The Terps faced a 21-18 deficit, already down 2-1 in the match against the Demon Deacons. Soon after, Wake Forest closed the match out, bringing Maryland’s promising winning streak to an end, as Maryland volleyball fell 4-2 Sunday.
Maryland (5-3) entered the match following a thrilling win against Davidson Saturday, where two Terps set season highs and were looking to extend their win streak to six.
Maryland hung around in the first set but couldn’t grab control early.
Malual quickly re-established herself as the Terps’ offensive anchor. Coming off a career-high in kills against Davidson, she piled up seven kills in the opening frame.
[Maryland volleyball prevails in thriller against Davidson, 3-2]
Her fast start energized Maryland, keeping the set tight until freshman Addie Canady pushed them ahead with an ace. The Terps then closed on a 6-1 run — with Malual in the middle of it to secure the set.
The second set began in Maryland’s favor, but a 12-7 lead slowly chipped away. Ryleigh Whitekettle and Paige Crawford gave the Wake Forest offense a spark with eight combined kills.
Malual once again began producing when it mattered most, giving the Terps a 22-20 lead with two late points, a few badly placed passes from the Terps contributed to a late rally from Wake Forest that would secure them the set.
Things unraveled for the Terps in the third set when the Deacons took a 16-10 lead. Even when Malual contributed two kills for the Terps to tie up the set — Maryland couldn’t stop a late Wake Forest rally and lost the set. She ultimately contributed to four of Maryland’s last 11 points in the period.
“Offensively, I thought she was really good today.” Hughes said of Malual. “She gave us a window of opportunity, and we just weren’t able to capitalize.”
[Ajack Malual dominates in Maryland volleyball’s sweep of Delaware State]
Malual also logged three blocks and seven digs in the performance. When needed, she has also been a dependable defensive performer for the Terps, with most of the team’s defensive production from last season having departed.
Despite 21 kills from Malual in the fourth set, a career high, Wake Forest pulled away as the Terps were unable to stop opposing rallies.
Crawford continued to show out throughout the match, finishing with 16 kills and 8 digs throughout the night. Maryland’s defense had its hands full for the second match in a row, and this time it was too much for them to withstand.
“We were down 16-10 in game three, and couldn’t find a way to work our way back into it until too late.” Hughes said. “In game four, kind of like it was back and forth, back and forth. But yeah, their offense was humming at that point.”
Though the Terps lingered for a while, eventually an overhit pass from Haley Melby sealed the win for Wake Forest. The team that Hughes beat in his first win as Maryland head coach ended Maryland’s win streak.
