Sept. 13, 2008

Box Score

NEW ORLEANS - The University of Maryland volleyball team dropped the tournament finale of the Allstate Sugar Bowl at Tulane University Saturday evening, 19-25, 16-25 and 23-25 to the host Green Waves of Tulane.

Junior Katie Usher recorded six block assists to move into fourth place in school history, surpassing both Sherry Smith and Kelly Malins in the record books. Usher now has 306 career block assists.

Maryland (2-7) started off the first set positively, blocking the first two Tulane (5-4) attacks for a 2-0 advantage. The set was competitive from there as neither team could gain a considerable lead until about the midway point, when the Green Wave started to pull away with a 5-0 run to stretch a two-point lead to a seven-point lead. The Terps got as close as four on four occasions, but could inch no closer, eventually dropping the set, 25-19.

Both teams struggled with their attack in the first session. Tulane hit .024, but Maryland hit -.070. Usher paced the Terps in the set, recording three kills and three blocks.

The second set, much like the first, was close early on before Tulane pulled away at the midway point to take an 18-10 lead. Maryland got as close as five, but Tulane re-took control en route to a 25-16 win.

After dropping the first two sets, the Terps came out fired up for set No. 3, racing to an 8-1 lead. The Terps led 11-4. However, Tulane fought back to cut the deficit to one at 11-10. The Green Wave eventually tied the score at 12 apiece. Maryland re-gained a three-point advantage, 16-13, but Tulane fought back to take its first lead at 18-17. The teams traded leads a couple times, but the Wave took a two-point lead, 21-19, forcing a Maryland timeout.

The Wave scored the first two points out of the timeout, though, and eventually took the set and the match by a final score of 25-23.

Usher and freshman Lisa Scott tied for the team lead with eight kills each. The Terps recorded 14 blocks in the match, including seven each from Lisa Scott and Usher and another four from senior Mary Beth Brown.

Scott was named to the all-tournament team, the only Maryland selection.

All-Tournament Team

• Visnja Djurdjevic (Tulane) MVP
• Chrissy Knuth (North Dakota State)
• Jennifer Lopez (North Dakota State)
• Brittany Whitten (Jacksonville State)
• Lisa Scott (Maryland)
• Ksenija Vlaskovic (Tulane)
• Sara Radosevic (Tulane)
• Libero - Jenn Miller (Tulane)

-TERPS-