Oct. 31, 2008
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COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
Katie Usher led the Terps in kills, blocks and hitting percentage, dominating the late stages of the University of Maryland volleyball team's 3-0 sweep of visiting NC State Friday evening, helping snap the team's 10-match losing streak in the process.
Usher, a junior middle blocker, led the Terps (6-18, 2-10 ACC) with 13 kills on .346 hitting to go along with four blocks. Usher took over the match at times in the final two sets, combing for 10 kills on .471 hitting with three of her four blocks in the final two sessions of the night.
The Wolfpack (9-18, 3-9 ACC) grabbed a 9-6 lead in the opening set before the Terps rallied. Mary Beth Brown cut the deficit to two with a kill and Maryland tied the match on consecutive Wolfpack attack errors. The teams then went back and forth, with both exchanging small leads.
NC State led late, 19-17, before Maryland began its strong finishing run. Usher posted back-to-back kills to knot the score at 19. With the score tied at 20, the Terps scored three straight points, including a block by Usher and Maggie Schmelzle, and a kill by senior middle blocker Kathleen Wilson. Up 23-22, the Terps clinched the set on a Schmelzle kill and block by Wilson and freshman Maddi Lee.
Maryland held NC State to .000 hitting in the set.
The Terps got off to a quick start in the second set off the serve of setter Hayley Hanson. A Hanson service ace put Maryland up 3-0 early.
The Terps increased their lead to five at 12-7. However, the Wolfpack made a run of their own, scoring 10 of the next 13 points to take a 17-15 lead in the set.
NC State appeared it might steal the second set, leading 20-17 late, but Maryland had different plans. Down three, Maryland head coach Tim Horsmon called a timeout to regroup.
The Terps responded well to the break, scoring four points out of the timeout to force an NC State timeout. Brittney Grove, Usher and Brown each recorded kills to tie the score at 20 and Grove's solo block gave the Terps the lead for good.
Usher played a part in each of Maryland's final four points of the set, hitting back-to-back kills coming out of the NC State timeout, following a Wolfpack point with another kill and clinching the set by combining on a block with Brown. The Terps took the set, 25-22.
Sophomore libero Bethany Springer was excellent defensively in set No. 2, recording six of her match-high 13 digs in the stanza.
Other than an NC State block on the first play of the third and final set, the Terps never trailed.
With the score tied at 3-3, Maryland opened an early four-point cushion with a 4-0 run, forcing a Wolfpack timeout.
The Wolfpack tied the score three times, but could never pull ahead.
Maryland held a tenuous one-point lead, 18-17, before burying NC State. Three straight Wolfpack attack errors, one of which consisted of a block by Usher and Brown, gave the Terps a 21-17 lead.
Usher registered one more kill, Hanson scored one on a perfectly-executed dump play and the Wolfpack hit two more errors to give the Terps the 25-19 victory.
With the victory, Maryland continued its home dominance of NC State, as the Wolfpack have still not won in College Park, Md. since 1988.
Grove had an excellent match for the Terps, posting season highs with 10 kills and a .333 hitting percentage. Grove also had two blocks.
Wilson played well filling in for freshman Lisa Scott. Wilson finished with five kills on .273 hitting with one block.
Schmelzle had six kills on .286 hitting. Hanson and freshman Sharon Strizak posted 18 and 15 assists, respectively.
Maryland played one of its best defensive matches of the season, holding the Wolfpack to .041 hitting, compared to .165 for the Terps. The Wolfpack hit .228 in this season's previous matchup.
Arlee Tamietti paced the Wolfpack with nine kills. Aiwane Iboaya added four blocks.
The Terps are off Saturday, returning to Comcast Pavilion at 1 p.m. Sunday for a match against the North Carolina Tar Heels.
-TERPS-
