Maryland volleyball’s defense was its unwavering strength through non-conference play. The Terps entered their Big Ten opener against Iowa leading the conference in blocks and second in digs.
But Maryland, which went just 5-15 in Big Ten play last season, struggled to halt Iowa. The Terps fell to the Buckeyes in straight sets at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Thursday.
Ajack Malual, who entered in the top 15 of the Big Ten in kills per set, matched a season low with eight kills for Maryland. The senior and the Terps’ other offensive producers were consistently forced out of position.
The Terps fell into an early hole in the first set, with a 9-4 Hawkeyes run forcing coach Adam Hughes to call timeout. A second timeout followed shortly after when Iowa increased the gap to 13-7.
Iowa’s spikes forced Maryland’s (7-4, 0-1 Big Ten) defenders to scramble around the court. The Terps struggled to combat the Hawkeyes’ power and extend rallies.
The Terps’ offense endured difficulties alongside the defense. Maryland mustered only a .133 hitting percentage in the opening set compared to Iowa’s .290. Its usual offensive producers struggled, like Malual.
Another key factor in the opening set was the service ace disparity — the Hawkeyes (10-3, 1-0 Big Ten) logged four aces in the first set, while Maryland failed to record any. The Terps rank near the middle of the Big Ten in aces after leading the conference in that stat last season.
Maryland strung some short runs together, but was unable to recover from the slow start. The Terps dropped the first set, 25-17.
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Maryland took four of the first five points to start the second set, with Olivia Ruy notching two kills. The redshirt sophomore ranked fourth on the Terps in kills through non-conference play, but paced them with 12 kills on Thursday.
The Hawkeyes took the lead back quickly, though. Maryland’s defense allowed Iowa to hit over .300 in the set.
On one point, despite multiple Terps blocks, the Hawkeyes kept the ball in play and junior Hannah Whittingstall eventually sent the ball through the back, making the score 15-9.
Maryland strung another short rally to decrease Iowa’s lead to two, but the Hawkeyes’ offensive weapons left the Terps struggling to keep up. Chard’e Vanzandt had nine kills by the end of the second set.
More Iowa service aces, added onto its relentless offensive pressure, eventually resulted in it taking the second set, 25-20.
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The Terps quickly opened the third set, with Olivia Ruy continuing to lead the charge with five kills in the frame. Malual also found her footing midway through the set, contributing a kill and two service aces down the stretch.
The Terps had a set point, up 24-22, but faltered. Malual had a service error with the match tied, and Whittingstall notched a kill to seal the set.
Malual and the defense — arguably Maryland’s most impressive forces in non-conference play — both floundered on Thursday. The Terps will need each to be better to have a chance at improving upon last season’s poor showing in conference play.
