Maryland volleyball’s defense couldn’t have gone cold at a worse time. Coming off an uninspired loss to Iowa on Thursday, the Terps had to contend with undefeated and No. 1-ranked Nebraska in their second straight road game to open conference play.
The Cornhuskers, who entered the match with three wins against top-10 teams, cruised to their 21st consecutive victory over the Terps in a 3-0 sweep in Lincoln. Nebraska’s multifaceted offense gave the Terps no room for error, and Maryland almost never had the chance to respond.
“It’s a tough environment,” Hughes said. “It was nice to have a chance to steal set two and see the crowd get into it.”
The match began with offensive urgency on both sides. Maryland’s (7-2, 0-2 Big Ten) Lilly Wagner and Nebraska’s Olivia Mauch each recorded early service aces to set the tone.
As the first set wore on, it became apparent that Maryland’s defense was in for one of its biggest challenges of the season.
Nebraska’s (12-0, 2-0 Big Ten) offense entered the match with five players averaging two or more kills per set, giving the Cornhuskers’ offense an advantage against a defense still reeling from its conference-opening letdown against Iowa.
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Maryland’s defense was quickly stretched thin against Nebraska’s versatile offense. Coach Adam Hughes used both of his timeouts by the time Nebraska built a 20-12 lead in the first set.
The Cornhuskers quickly put a bow on the set, winning 25-14. Maryland’s offense, which entered Saturday’s match at the bottom of the Big Ten in kills per set, did it no favors. The team hit a collective -0.67 in the first set and no players finished in the positive.
In the second set, Ajack Malual showed some early flashes. Coming off a meager performance in the Iowa match, she produced a kill and service ace that gave Maryland a 5-2 lead, with help from a few Nebraska attacks that couldn’t get past the net.
The momentum quickly fizzled out, though. The Cornhuskers took their lead back and started running it up once again. Rebekah Allick was at the forefront for the Cornhuskers’ offense, hitting .692 with 10 kills at the end of the second set.
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Hughes was once again forced to use his timeouts in quick succession after falling into a 19-12 deficit. The Terps responded.
Haley Melby contributed three kills as part of a 9-3 Terps run, cutting Nebraska’s lead to one and forcing it to use a timeout.
Nebraska’s defense hasn’t been its strong suit so far in the season, ranking 12th in the Big Ten in blocks per set and 15th in total blocks. The Terps attacked this vulnerability, persistently sending hard shots to the net.
“[We] had some phases of the game that we probably won.” Hughes said. “I think we learned a lot about ourselves today.
The two teams traded blows as the second set drew to a close, but eventually, Nebraska’s offensive weapons made the difference again. Harper Murray, the Cornhuskers’ team leader in kills entering the match, sealed a 27-25 result.
The failed comeback attempt seemed to knock the wind out of the Terps’ sails. Nebraska almost immediately took a 5-0 lead in the third set. Hughes tried to rally his players, but Maryland was clearly overmatched.
Nebraska hit .452 as a team in the third set and .360 for the entire match. The Terps were out-blocked 11-to-4 and out-dug 48-to-33 in another disastrous performance. Each team had 100 attacks in the contest, but Nebraska turned them into 49 kills while Maryland could only muster 25.
After two consecutive straight set defeats to open conference play, the Terps are left with more questions than answers amid some major defensive letdowns.
