Maryland volleyball was going down a similar path after the first set of their rematch against Rutgers Wednesday. Despite a late 23-20 lead, the Terps failed to close it out and found themselves down in a similar fashion to the team’s last match against the Scarlet Knights.
But unlike in their last meeting, the Terps fought back. Maryland rode a resurgent offense to win the next three sets — and the match — snapping its six-game skid and leaving Ohio State as the lone Big Ten team without a conference win.
“I’m not gonna lie, I shed a few tears.” Lilly Wagner said. “It means a lot that we have used what’s happened this season as a learning experience instead of just being stuck with it.”
A few opening miscues from Rutgers gave the Terps a 4-1 lead to start the match, but the Scarlet Knights quickly made up the deficit. The two teams fought tooth and nail through the remainder of the set.
With Maryland (8-9, 1-6 Big Ten) and Rutgers (10-9, 1-6 Big Ten) entering with a combined 1-11 conference record this season, the teams were both looking to end the night with a win. It showed in the first set
Ajack Malual, the Terps’ main offensive producer, exemplified this energy on her first kill, hitting a spike so hard it ricocheted off the hands of a Scarlet Knights defender and went out of play. She totaled seven kills in the set.
The two teams battled for the set until the bitter end. Maryland got the first chance to close out the set after taking a 24-23 lead, but they couldn’t quite do it.
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Rutgers scored three consecutive points, turning Maryland’s advantage into a 1-0 match deficit in a matter of minutes. Though not quite as agonizing as its blown 14-4 lead in the first set of their last match against Rutgers, the Terps were still on the back foot.
Maryland, as it usually has this season, rode the urgency of its deficit to an early 10-5 lead in the second set. However, it wouldn’t last. Yet again, Rutgers slowly chipped away at Maryland’s lead throughout the set.
A major reason for Rutgers’ early leads was its offensive urgency. The Scarlet Knights’ Lexi Visintine came into the match with 29 service aces, and she had four by the end of the second set. Maryland could only muster two aces as a team in the same timeframe.
Holding the offensive edge and a match lead, Rutgers was sitting pretty as the second set drew to a close. Rutgers eventually built a 23-20 lead in the set. It looked like a sweep was on the cards for the Scarlet Knights’ visit to College Park.
But the Terps had other ideas.
Maryland quickly rattled off four straight kills to give itself match point. Malual and Haley Melby, the Terps’ two highest scorers in the match, combined for three kills in the rally.
Though a flustered Rutgers squad called a timeout to try and refocus, there was no stopping Maryland. Eva Rohrbach and Wagner jammed the Scarlet Knights’ final attack at the net, giving Maryland a set win in the best possible fashion.
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The third set was another volatile one. Rutgers clawed its way to an 18-12 lead, but Hughes called timeout, determined to not let his best opportunity for a conference win slip.
The Terps’ offense steadily found its rhythm throughout the game, reaching its apex in the third set. Maryland hit a collective .414 in the period and three different Terps logged 10 or more kills.
“I thought today exposed what the offense can look like.“ Hughes said. ”I think [Sydney] Bryant had 11, Haley Melby had 13, and the other two middles are both scoring. That’s a well balanced offense.”
Sydney Bryant’s performance was a microcosm of Maryland’s offensive improvement. The junior totaled a season-high 11 kills throughout the match, making it her fourth straight game with seven or more kills.
Despite Maryland’s resurgent offense, the Scarlet Knights matched the Terps every step of the way, leading to another late-set thriller with the two teams tied at 24.
Even when a kill from Tara Garvey gave Rutgers the late advantage, Maryland didn’t fold. Another kill from Bryant and a couple of Rutgers attacks that fell short of the net sealed a 27-25 win for the Terps in the third set.
“I thought everyone held the line. I was pretty aggressive with them, and they responded great.” Hughes said.
The Terps were one set away from their first conference win of the year. They didn’t pull any punches.
Though the set began close, as they all had throughout the match, what was left of Rutgers’ stamina quickly frittered away. Malual put the finishing touches on an amazing performance, tying her season high with 21 kills.
After an arduous beginning to the team’s conference schedule, the roar of the home crowd felt sweeter than ever after a kill from Duru Gökçen sealed Maryland’s 3-1 win.
