Entering today’s match against Maryland volleyball, Wisconsin led the Big Ten with 14.55 kills per set. This stat was only made more impressive by the fact they played only 42 total sets, less than every other conference team.
Those stats illustrated how full the Terps’ hands would be while trying to handle the Badgers’ offense — which resulted in a straight-sets win for the Badgers, extending Maryland’s losing streak to six games. The Terps have yet to win a match since conference play began in September.
“I thought we’ve made a lot of progress in the last two weeks, [we were] pretty competitive here for two sets.” Hughes said.
The Badgers entered with star setter Charlie Fuerbringer and outside hitter Grace Egan sitting out due to injury. Egan is currently averaging 3.09 kills per set, second highest on the team for Wisconsin.
The two absences, plus another hot start from Ajack Malual who had 10 kills and a service ace in the first period, contributed to an early 12-7 lead for the Terps.
Against a Wisconsin squad that entered with three ranked wins, it was always going to be an uphill battle for Maryland.
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The Terps’ offense, mired near the bottom of the Big Ten, managed just a .176 hitting percentage in the first set. The Badgers hit .344 over the same stretch, widening the gap.
Wisconsin star Mimi Colyer, second in the conference with 5.2 kills per set, set the tone early with five kills on a .444 clip.
The Badgers quickly regained control. Hughes called timeout with Maryland trailing 20–17, but the Terps never recovered as Wisconsin closed out a 25–20 win in the opening set.
The Terps came out urgently in the second period, catching Wisconsin off guard with two service aces to begin the period. They rallied to a 9-4 lead, causing the Badgers to call timeout.
“It felt like the middle of the match was more of a tactical challenge.” Hughes said. “They were trying to make some adjustments, and we were trying to catch up with them.”
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Again, the lead wouldn’t last. Wisconsin’s offense found its rhythm, and the Terps didn’t have many answers to the amount of versatility they had. Una Vajagic led the charge for the Badgers with six kills in the set.
Hughes found himself calling a timeout after watching the Badgers erase their deficit. The Terps were now in an 18-15 hole, and Wisconsin’s offense was smashing their spikes into every corner of their court.
Maryland was unable to keep up, losing the set 25-19. The team had run out of gas. In the third set, Hughes used his two available timeouts before the Badgers even reached 10 points.
The offensive skill gap was never more apparent than at this point in the match. The Badgers had six different players hit .200 or higher throughout, while Sydney Bryant was the only Maryland player to hit this mark.
“I want to make sure that it was clear that game three was below our standard,” Hughes said. “Mostly, that was the talk in the locker room. I think the vets weren’t very pleased with that either.“
Wisconsin put the match in the books after closing out a 25-12 win in set three — capping the Terps’ fifth consecutive loss to the Badgers.
