Aug. 28, 2009
Box Score
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
Sophomore outside hitter Maddi Lee posted career highs in kills (24) and hitting percentage (.449) to lead the University of Maryland volleyball team to a season-opening 3-2 victory against Stony Brook Friday evening in the Spring Hill Suites at Arundel Mills Maryland Invitational.
Freshman outside hitter Kara Bates added a splendid collegiate debut, finishing with 20 kills on .385 hitting with 10 digs, as the Terrapins (1-0) bested the Sea Wolves (0-1) by scores of 22-25, 25-21, 25-20, 24-26 and 15-9.
A trio of errors by Stony Brook gave Maryland an early 3-0 lead in the first set, but the Sea Wolves rebounded to build a seven point lead, 13-6, due to an 8-2 scoring run. The Terps got within one at 15-14, but never got closer. Harmonie Calinda led the Sea Wolves with six kills in the opening set.
The second set started close, as both sides played to an 11-11 tie before the Terps took over down the stretch to even the score. A 7-3 Maryland run put the Terps up 18-14, forcing a Stony Brook timeout. Lee posted three of her six kills in the set after that timeout to lead the team to a 25-21 win. Bates added five kills in the frame as Maryland out-hit Stony Brook .406-.077.
Lee and Bates picked up where they left off following intermission, posting 11 of the team's 18 kills in the set. Despite the duo's solid hitting, however, the Sea Wolves held an 18-17 advantage late in the proceedings.
The Terps rebounded with five straight points, though, to wrestle away control of the set and the match. Senior Katie Usher posted two kills and a block in that run and Stony Brook never threatened again, giving the Terps a 2-1 lead in the match.
The fourth set was perhaps the most exciting of the match. Neither team could run away when it seemed it had control. The Sea Wolves built a late 19-15 lead that forced a Maryland timeout. The Terps took advantage of the timeout, scoring four consecutive point to tie the score at 19.
Holding set point at 24-23, Maryland stayed alive with a kill from Bates, but Stony Brook answered with back-to-back point to win the set, 26-24, and force a fifth set.
The Terps and Sea Wolves alternated the first seven points of the final set, as the Terps took a 4-3 lead. Finally, the Sea Wolves gave and the Terps started to pull away. Two Bates kills and a Brittney Grove service ace put Maryland up 7-4, forcing a Stony Brook timeout.
The timeout did no good for the Sea Wolves, however, as Maryland ripped off three straight points to take a commanding 10-4 lead, forcing yet another timeout. An Usher block and another ace from Grove made it 12-4 Terps.
Stony Brook rallied briefly to get within five at 14-9, but a Jeanette Gibbs attack error gave Maryland the decisive point.
With the victory, the Terps improved to 24-15 all-time in season openers and 2-0 all-time against Stony Brook.
Maryland out-hit Stony Brook .286-.124 for the match. In addition to the strong performances of Lee and Bates, Usher added nine kills and Grove finished with eight.
Freshman setter Taylor Jones led the Terps with 54 assists and also registered four blocks. Freshman libero Sam Rosario finished with a team-high 19 digs.
Calinda led the Seas Wolves with 20 kills on .326 hitting.
Maryland plays twice more Saturday, beginning with Youngstown State at 1 p.m. and Villanova at 7 p.m. Villanova defeated Youngstown State, 3-1, earlier Friday in the first match of the day.
- TERPS -
