Sept. 6, 2008
Box Score
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
Despite leading throughout most of the match, the University of Maryland volleyball dropped a tough, five-set contest to St. John's Saturday morning in the Spring Hill Suites at Arundel Mills Maryland Volleyball Invitational.
St. John's (4-2) won by scores of 21-25, 25-19, 23-25, 26-24 and 15-12 in the first-ever match between the two teams.
The Terrapins (1-4) out-hit the Red Storm .166-.136 in the match and received double-digit kills from Katie Usher (13), Maggie Schmelzle (10) and Lisa Scott (10). Sophomore Michelle Kenning recorded 19 digs to set a new career high.
After being swept the night before against Missouri, the Terps clearly came to play against the Red Storm.
The first set went back and forth to a 20-20 tie, but the Terps closed the deal with a 5-1 run, highlighted by three Brittney Grove kills.
Maryland hit .250 in the set, thanks to some great passing from senior setter Tedi Doucet, who had eight assists in the session. Scott was dominant in the middle, recording three blocks in the period.
The second set was another tight affair most of the way. The score was tied at 16 apiece before the Red Storm embarked on a 5-0 run to take control en route to a 25-19 win.
Like the previous two sets, the third was nip and tuck, as well. The Terps went up 3-0 thanks to a pair of service aces from Schmelzle. The Terps led by as many as four at 9-5. St. John's rallied to eventually tie the score as late as 21-21. Holding a one-point advantage at 23-22, the Terps pulled out the set on a kill by Katie Usher and a St. John's attack error.
Up 2-1, Maryland stormed out of the gates in the fourth set and appeared to be running away with the match. The Terps again went up 3-0 and increased the lead to a seemingly commanding margin of 14-7.
The Terps were three points away from victory at 22-17. However, the Red Storm ripped off five straight points to even the score. With the scored knotted at 24-24, the Red Storm claimed the final two points of the set on a Casie Brooks kill and block by Chen Chen and Kun Song, evening the match at 2-2.
In the deciding set, the teams split the first 14 points en route to a 7-7 tie. However, St. John's went up 11-7 thanks to three kills from Song. The Terps twice got within two at 13-11 and 14-12, respectively. The Terps could not complete a comeback, however, as Brooks converted the final kill of the match for a 15-12 win.
The Terps posted 15 blocks to seven for the Red Storm. Scott led the team with seven while Usher recorded six and senior Mary Beth Brown also had six.
Hayley Hanson led the Terps with 27 assists while Doucet added 19. Bethany Springer led the team with 23 digs and Schmelzle added 19.
Schmelzle is now five digs away from moving into fourth place in school history.
Brooks led the Red Storm with 18 kills.
Maryland is back in action at 7:30 p.m. tonight against the Kentucky Wildcats.
-TERPS-
