Oct. 25, 2008
Box Score
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -
Senior right side Mary Beth Brown recorded three blocks to move into sole possession of third place on Maryland volleyball's all-time blocks list, but the Terrapins dropped a hard fought-match at Wake Forest Saturday evening, 21-25, 21-25 and 23-25.
Now with 419 career blocks, Brown passed Kelli Myers to move into the third spot in program history, behind former teammates Rachel Wagener and Stephanie Smith.
The Terps are now one of only five Division-I volleyball programs to have the top three blockers in school history all play together at some point. The other programs are Georgia Tech, Valparaiso, Holy Cross, The Citadel and Texas A&M Corpus Christi. However, The Citadel and Texas A&M Corpus Christi's programs only began within the last decade.
Maryland (5-18, 1-10 ACC) fell into a hole early in the first set and eventually fell behind by eight at 17-9. However, the Terps came storming back, embarking on an 11-1 run to take a two-point lead, 20-18. Brown registered two of her three blocks in the scoring run and added a kill, as well.
The Terps led 21-19 on another Brown kill, but could not close out the Demon Deacons (15-8, 6-5 ACC), as Wake Forest finished the set with six straight points.
Wake Forest took an early 10-point lead in the second set, 14-4 and seemed to be cruising to another win, owning a late, 23-14 lead. Maryland scored five of the next six points to get within three, 24-21, but Wake Forest held on to win with a block by Natalie Mullikin and Kristen White.
The Demon Deacons rode the momentum of their 2-0 lead in the match and used it early in the third set, grabbing a quick 4-0 lead over the Terrapins out of the intermission. Wake Forest extended its lead to 15-8, but once again, Maryland had a response.
Down 17-12, the Terps received back-to-back-to-back kills by Brown, Christina Paul and Michelle Kenning to get within two points. Maryland got within one point four times, including 24-23 after a Katie Usher kill, but could not extend the set or the match, as Kelsey Jones notched the clinching kill with the Terps needing a point to tie.
Usher led the Terps with nine kills, hitting .389 in the process with three blocks. Sophomore Brittney Grove had seven kills and 12 digs and Brown added six kills. Sophomore libero Bethany Springer had a match-high 22 digs.
Mullikin paced the Demon Deacons with 11 kills and six blocks, hitting .333. Wake Forest posted 12 blocks in the match, doubling Maryland's total of six.
Maryland returns home next weekend for a pair of matches against NC State and North Carolina. NC State will be at Comcast Pavilion at 7 p.m. Friday, with the Tar Heels in town for a 1 p.m. matchup next Sunday.
-TERPS-
