ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Despite career-high efforts from a number of Terrapins, the Maryland volleyball team dropped a five-set thriller to Marshall Saturday afternoon at the Michigan Invitational. Senior Mary Cushman was named to the All-Tournament Team.
Poised to capture their ninth win of the season, Maryland (8-4) was ousted in the final set by Marshall (6-9), 16-14. Freshman Julia Anderson put the Terps ahead, 9-7, in the final frame with a service ace, but a pair of kills by Allie Kiekover and Laura Der put a stamp on the victory for the Herd.
Junior Adreene Elliott set the tone early for Maryland, notching eight kills to boost her side to a 25-20 victory in the first set. Elliott finished the day with a career-high 19 kills.
The Terps' hot hitting fizzled in the second set however, as it could only muster 10 kills (10 errors) en route to a Marshall 25-23 set victory. Maryland regained its advantage with a third set victory, but the Herd forced a decisive fifth set with a narrow fourth set win, 25-23.
In addition to Elliott, junior Catie Coyle and sophomore Emily Fraik had career days for the Terrapins, posting highs of nine blocks and 14 digs, respectively. Senior Sarah Harper had 20 digs on the afternoon.
Maryland opens Atlantic Coast Conference play Friday against Georgia Tech at 7:00 p.m. in Comcast Pavilion. The pair of sides split the season series last year, and the Yellow Jackets hold a narrow 28-27 advantage in the all-time series.
