The success of Maryland volleyball’s offense has largely been predicated on Ajack Malual this season. Her efforts have done much to help a Terps team that entered Sunday’s match as the only Big Ten team hitting below .200.
The senior outside hitter logged 20 kills and pushed reigning national champion Penn State for five sets — with help from a raucous crowd at Xfinity Center — but the Terps lost, 3-2, failing to earn their first win in the series since 1983.
“We’re competitively inexperienced in some spaces,” coach Adam Hughes said. “The moment might have gotten the best of us, but the only way to grow is to be in that struggle and to learn from this and battle back.”
No. 16 Penn State (8-6, 2-2 Big Ten) began the match on a 10-2 run. Kennedy Martin, who entered play as one of the best offensive talents in the Big Ten, recorded three kills before Hughes exhausted his timeouts.
The Terps’ struggles to stop opposing teams’ top offensive playmakers is a developing trend. Rutgers’ Aspen Maxwell, who sits alongside Martin as one of six Big Ten players averaging four or more kills per set, recorded 13 kills against Maryland last match.
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Maryland’s (7-7, 0-4 Big Ten) offense didn’t put up much resistance. The Terps hit a flat .000 in the opening set.
With Maryland’s offense stalled — and the defense unable to stop the bleeding — Penn State closed a 25-16 win in set one. The Nittany Lions hit .333 across the period.
The second set began with another 8-2 deficit, which quickly ballooned to 20-11. Maryland made an effort to get back into it following a timeout, led by five kills from Malual, but its offense couldn’t establish consistency.
The Nittany Lions found most of their success by jamming Maryland’s attacks at the net, resulting in errors or Penn State sending back strong attacks that the defense couldn’t counter.
Penn State ultimately won the second set, 25-20. Rohrbach was the only player to hit .200 or higher for Maryland after two sets.
Despite the deficit, Maryland carried its momentum into the third set, opening a surprise 10-4 lead. The Nittany Lions were caught sleeping, allowing three service aces and having some attacks denied at the net.
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Malual’s efforts were the backbone of the Terps’ resurgence. After struggling to get going in the first set, the senior came through with five or more kills in the next two sets.
With their primary offensive facilitator back in gear, Maryland rallied around her to keep its lead in the third set. Despite Penn State’s offense cutting into the lead, the Terps held on for a 25-19 win in the third set.
The Xfinity Center crowd, which had grown louder as the set went along, erupted in cheers as Gabrielle Nichols’ attack sailed out of bounds to seal the game for the Terps. The crowd’s enthusiasm made it tough for the Nittany Lions to adjust.
“Once we got going and the crowd got into it, it made a huge difference.” Hughes said. “You could see the energy level within the huddles change.”
Malual continued to build on her monster performance as the fourth set began, increasing her total kills to 20 on the night. Her efforts, coupled with more aggressive defense at the net, gave Maryland an 11-7 lead.
“[Malual] did a really good job being composed throughout the match.” Hughes said. “I think [Penn State’s] Kennedy [Martin] had 21 kills, and she had 20. That’s a big time performance.”
The two teams fiercely battled for an advantage, with the lead trading hands a few times. Penn State kept it close the entire way, but the Terps were firmly in the flow of the game and had help from a stadium that was only getting louder.
With set point to Maryland, the Nittany Lions’ Gillian Grimes hit a serve out of bounds to send the match to a fifth and final set. All of a sudden, when no one expected it, Maryland was 15 points away from its first win against Penn State in over 40 years.
Despite a valiant effort, Maryland’s offense stalled out in the fifth set. Malual only mustered two kills, and the Terps’ offense faltered along with her. The Nittany Lions closed the door on Maryland’s comeback effort with a 15-5 win in the fifth set.
