Aug. 28, 2010
Box Score
COLUMBIA, Mo. -
The University of Maryland volleyball team finished out the Tiger Invitational with two wins, sweeping Utah Valley and only giving up one set against Nevada. Freshman Mary Cushman and senior Bethany Springer were named to the Tiger Invitational All-Tournament team.
Maryland's (2-1) offense was on fire as they swept the Utah Valley Wolverines (1-2) Saturday morning. Senior Brittney Grove recorded 11 kills on .474 hitting with one service ace and two block assists. Fellow classmate Michelle Kenning led the squad in total attacks with 24.
In the first set, the Wolverines jumped out to an early 3-1 lead. Maryland responded with a 6-1 run sparked by a kill from Cushman, taking the Terps up 7-4. The two teams remained close until the Terrapins went on another four-point streak and led by as many as eight points. Freshman Sarah Harper gave the Terps set point with a service ace and a service error by UVU closed out the first set, 25-19.
Utah Valley never let the Terps take their lead too far in the second set, forcing it into extra points. Four set points later, kills by Cushman and junior Maddi Lee secured the second set, 29-27. Grove kicked of the clinching set with a kill. Although they earned the first point, Maryland had to play catch-up early. After tying the score at nine-all, Grove attacked and earned the kill to gain the lead, which the Terps never let go of. The Wolverines pulled in close towards the end, knotting the score at 20, but errors from UVU and strong defense from Maryland gave the Terps the 25-23 victory and their first win of the season.
The Terrapins cleaned up on Saturday with a 3-1 victory over Nevada (1-2) led by junior Lisa Scott who hit .474 with 11 kills and five blocks. Maryland jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the first set but couldn't quite pull away from the Wolf Pack. Consecutive kills by Lee and Grove secured the first set for the Terps, 25-22.
Maryland played from behind in the second set and wasn't able to overcome a strong attack from the Wolf Pack and split the first two stanzas. The Terps came back in the third set with a solid plan and earned an almost uncontested set. The Terrapins broke out on a 10-2 run and quickly extended their lead to 14 points for a 20-6 lead. A block by junior Lisa Scott and Cushman closed it out, 25-14.
In the match clinching set, both teams battled for the lead. Maryland started to take a lead after two straight errors from Nevada. The Terps increased the gap to six points and four different Terrapins helped seal the victory, 25-19.
Following the road trip, Maryland returns to College Park for their home opener, hosting the Spring Hill Suites at Arundel Mills Maryland Invitational at Comcast Center. The tournament kicks off on Friday, Sept. 3 as the Terps first take the floor at 7:30 p.m. against Fordham. They will play two more matches on Saturday, against Bradley at 12:30 p.m. and nearby foe Georgetown at 7 p.m.
In combination with the ever competitive Atlantic Coast Conference schools, the Terps' schedule also features four tournaments and eight teams that earned NCAA tournament berths last year.
Fans will have nine chances to catch their Terrapins at home against ACC competition in addition to the two tournaments in September which feature six total matches.
