Heading into its penultimate volleyball game the night before Thanksgiving, Maryland volleyball may have been feeling thankful for the nearing end of a grueling season.
After all, the Terps still have not attained a second conference win after losing their 12th straight contest and sixth straight sweep Wednesday night. Maryland lost 3-0 to Washington at the Pavilion.
The Terps are now 1-18 in Big Ten play. If they were to lose to Oregon on Friday, they would finish with their worst conference record in program history. Even with a win, it would be the program’s worst season since the 2008 iteration went 2-18 in the ACC.
Maryland started the first set trading points with the Huskies, bolstered by a successful out-of-bounds challenge by coach Adam Hughes only four points in.
It was imperative heading into the game that Maryland limited Washington’s leading offensive player, Kierstyn Barton, who ranks eighth in the Big Ten for kills per game.
The Terps are seventh in the Big Ten for blocks, boasting two players in the top eight — Duru Gökçen and Eva Rohrbach. Despite three Maryland blocks and four digs by Haley Melby, Barton ended the first set with four kills.
[Maryland volleyball swept for the 5th straight game by Penn State]
Meanwhile, Ajack Malual, Maryland’s offensive leader, battled Barton. Malual posted six kills in the first set.
Unfortunately for Maryland, there was another player on Washington who matched Barton and Malual. Simone Mateska recorded five kills in the first set. No other Terp was able to match the Huskies’ duo, and Washington ended hitting .406 with Maryland hitting .345.
The Terps managed to keep their intensity throughout the first set, a feat they have struggled with throughout the season. While the Huskies were only up 20-19 at one point, they took the first set 25-21 off a Terp service error.
Washington started the second set with a dominant showing from Mateska, recording the first three points with a block and two kills. Mateska ended the set with five kills to contribute to Washington’s .517 hitting percentage.
[Maryland volleyball’s losing streak hits 10 after straight-set loss to No. 19 Minnesota]
Sydney Bryant rose to the game’s forefront in Maryland’s second-set run, notching seven kills to bring her total to nine. Unfortunately, the Terps’ brief surge could not carry them to the end of the set, which Washington won 25-18 off of Mateska’s 12th total kill.
Washington continued its theme of early set dominance despite Malual, who recorded Maryland’s first three points — a kill and two blocks — to contrast her relatively uneventful second set. When Maryland coach Adam Hughes called a timeout, the Huskies were up 8-4.
However, with three kills from Bryant and two from Melby, Maryland made its comeback, going up 16-14 when Washington called for a timeout. From this point, the Terps fell back into their lull and were ultimately defeated 25-18.
Despite an impressive 13 kills from Bryant and eight kills from Malual, Mateska’s 16 led the Huskies to victory. Maryland hit .135 in the third set, ending with a .247 hitting percentage total. Washington hit .256 in the third set and .380 overall, beating the Terps on both fronts.
Washington even bested Maryland in blocks, recording seven while the Terps recorded six.
It was another classic tale of domination over the Terps. In his eighth year as coach, Hughes’ team has regressed to catastrophic levels – bordering on an unprecedented season for the Terps.
