Sept. 5, 2008
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COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
Senior Maggie Schmelzle led the Terps with a season-high 14 kills to go with seven digs as the University of Maryland volleyball team lost its home opener to the Missouri Tigers at Comcast Pavilion Friday evening on the opening night of the Spring Hill Suites at Arundel Mills Maryland Volleyball Invitational.
Missouri (3-1) won in straight sets by scores of 26-24, 25-14 and 25-15.
The Terrapins (1-3) matched the Tigers for most of the first set as the teams played to a 12-12 tie. After a Missouri handling error, Katie Usher and freshman Maddi Lee recorded back-to-back kills to put Maryland ahead, 15-12.
The Tigers battled back to take a three-point lead of their own at 20-17 and stretched it 24-21 to hold three set points.
The Terps rallied, however, thanks to a Schmelze kill and solo block. A Tiger attack error knotted the set at 24 all. However, the Tigers recorded the last two points of the set to claim the 1-0 advantage in the match.
Schmelzle was dominant in the first session, leading all scorers with eight kills on .333 hitting.
Missouri built a working margin in the middle of the second set, stretching an early 7-5 lead into a commanding 17-8 advantage. The Terps could not get closer than seven the rest of the way before falling 25-14.
The two sides split the first 18 points of the third set, playing to a 9-9 tie. Again, the Tigers were able to assert their control of the match. The Tigers scored eight of the next 10 points to go up 17-11 before closing out a 25-15 victory.
The match was the first all-time between the two schools.
Junior Hayley Hanson led the Terps with 20 assists while sophomore libero Bethany Springer recorded 19 digs.
Weiwen Wang paced Missouri with 11 kills and Julianna Klein added 10.
The Terps are back in action at 10 a.m. Saturday morning against St. John's before closing tournament play with a 7:30 p.m. match against the Kentucky Wildcats.
St. John's defeated Kentucky in four sets in earlier Friday action.
-TERPS-
