COLLEGE PARK, Md. – In a five-set thriller Wednesday evening, the Maryland volleyball team narrowly fell to Minnesota (25-21, 20-25, 14-25, 25-21, 7-15). Senior outside hitter Ashleigh Crutcher led the Terps with 19 kills while sophomore middle blocker Ashlyn MacGregor set a new career high with 11 total blocks.
“I've known Minnesota's staff for a long time, and I think they do a tremendous job,” said head coach Steve Aird. “I think we did some great things tonight against a good team. The best part of tonight's match is the team could have folded after the third set, but they didn't they came out and fought hard and competed. They continue to get better and improve.”
The Terrapins (9-19, 2-15 Big Ten) took a 1-0 set lead off strong hitting in the first. The team made 17 kills on .351 hitting, led by outside hitters Emily Fraik and Crutcher's six kills apiece. The duo each slammed down kills as Maryland took a quick 3-0 lead. Fraik and Crutcher continued to pace the Terps, but the Golden Gophers (17-11, 7-10) fought back to tie the set at 13. Maryland took a timeout after Minnesota took an 18-17 lead, but two straight points, including a kill from sophomore middle blocker Chavi St. Hill gave Terps the lead back.
The Gophers again tied at 21, but a Crutcher kill and her combined block with MacGregor allowed Maryland to pull ahead, 23-21. A kill from Crutcher sealed the first set victory for the Terps.
Four Maryland kills gave the Terps a 6-3 lead to start the second set, forcing Minnesota to take a quick timeout. Gopher errors allowed the Terrapins to reach a 10-6 lead. Minnesota worked back and took over the advantage, 14-13. The teams remained close before three straight Gopher kills allowed Minnesota to take a 21-16 lead.
A kill from senior outside hitter Catie Coyle and two straight MacGregor service aces allowed the Terps to stay close, but two straight kills from Santana Daly, who led the match with 23, tied the match, 1-1.
Led by Daly's seven third set kills, the Gophers took the game, 25-14. Fraik notched three kills for Maryland. Middle blockers Kelsey Hrebenach and Hailey Murray combined for a block, while Crutcher and MacGregor added one of their own, but the Terps were unable to climb back into the set.
With Minnesota on the verge of taking the match, Maryland came out ready to tie the match in the fourth. The Terrapins made seven total blocks in the game, led by six (1 BS, 5BA) from MacGregor. Crutcher nailed down seven kills on .357 hitting in the stanza. Maryland made it 7-4 early on before increasing the lead to 15-10.
After the Gophers began inching back into the set, with a service ace making it 19-17, the Terps used three late blocks to tie the match. Murray and Fraik made one to bring the set to 21-19. Two straight Terrapin blocks finished the game as MacGregor and Crutcher, and then St. Hill and MacGregor, gave Maryland a 25-21 set victory.
Despite an early 2-0 advantage for the Terps, Daly made four straight kills as the Gophers took a 4-2 lead. Minnesota made 6.5 blocks in the stanza to stave off the Maryland offense. A late Fraik kill made the set 13-7 before two Gopher kills earned Minnesota the match victory.
Fraik recorded a season-high 14 kills against the Golden Gophers. Junior libero Amy Dion notched 17 digs. Sophomore setter Whitney Craigo dished a season-high 26 assists and tallied three service aces.
The Terps take the XFINITY Pavilion court Saturday to host No. 2 Penn State (27-3, 15-2) at 7 p.m. The match will be streamed on BTN Plus on BTN2Go.
