Nov. 10, 2006

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COLLEGE PARK, Md. - With an 8-0 record when winning the first game of a match this season, the Terrapin volleyball team fell to Duke tonight (30-26, 22-30, 16-30, 28-30) before 759 at the Comcast Center Pavilion. Maryland drops to 11-15 (4-13 ACC), while the Blue Devils improve to 23-3 (16-1 ACC) to hold first position in the ACC.

The Terps outblocked Duke (12-5), as they posted a .177 hitting percentage in the match. Jade Brown (.279) led the Terrapins with 16 kills on the night, with Katie Usher (.500) adding nine and four blocks. Redshirt sophomore Kathleen Wilson led all Terps swatting three solo blocks and four block assists on the night.

Junior Beth Gillming had 16 digs for the Terps, while Maggie Schmelzle notched 12, helping the Terps to a total of 52 digs. Freshman Hayley Hanson recorded 26 assists for the team.

Brown has posted double-digit kills in 20-of-26 matches this season, while Usher is now tied for fifth for record block assists in a single-season with 148.

A hometown crowd invigorated the squad, as the Terps quickly got off to a 7-2 lead in the first game on kills by Gillming, Usher and Jade Brown. The Terps extended their lead to 12-7 and 18-8 with kills by Wilson and freshman Ashley Hogan and Duke errors. Duke went on a nine-point run to get within five points, then at 28-22 the Blue Devils staved off game point five times before a block by Gillming and Usher cemented the win at 30-26.

The Terps fell behind 4-9 in the second game, with Jade Brown and Usher downing kills for the Terps. The Terps scored seven of the next eight points to come within one at 11-12, yet Duke's Ali Hausfeld's tip and kills by Rachel Moss and Carrie DeMange helped Duke build a five-point lead at 15-20. Duke extended its lead at 20-26, with the Terps dropping the second game, 22-30, on a Terrapin error.

Strong serving dominated the third game, as the teams were even at 6-6. Duke went on a five-point run on DeMange's serve and kills by Susanna Carls and Jourdan Norman, with the Terps' staying close as Tina Aramburu's kill brought the score to 14-19. The Terps managed just two more points in the remainder of the game, as the Blue Devils went on to win, 16-30.

Carls finished with the match-high of 17 kills, as the Blue Devils registered a .447 hitting percentage in the third game.

The fourth game was a fierce contest throughout, as the two teams traded points at the start. At 9-9, kills by Usher, Jade Brown and Wilson and blocking from Wilson and Mary Beth Brown helped the Terps build a 16-10 lead. The Terps increased their lead to 20-13 on two aces by Jade Brown and Duke errors. Duke's offense brought the Blue Devils back in the game for a tie score at 22-22, as the teams were tied again at 27-27.

A Terrapin error and a kill by Rachel Moss brought match point for the Blue Devils, with Gillming downing a kill that caught the rear line for 28-29. Still, a Duke kill from setter Hausfeld gave the Blue Devils the win, 28-30.

The Terps host Wake Forest on Sunday at 1 p.m. The game can be followed on ACC Select and Gametracker.