ANN ARBOR, Mich. - Outside hitter Adreené Elliott notched 16 kills on a .444 clip with no errors as the Maryland volleyball team fell to No. 23 Michigan, 3-0, in a hard-fought match. The Terps (10-12, 0-8 B1G) fell to the Wolverines (15-4, 5-3) by set scores of 22-25, 16-25, 23-25.
“I thought the team played well and competed,” head coach Steve Aird said. “We did a lot of good things and fought hard. This is another example of us just playing a really good, really talented team. Credit to Michigan for getting the win.”
Setter Whitney Craigo led the match with 35 assists while defensive specialist Amy Dion led the Terps with 14 digs. Opposite hitter Angel Gaskin and middle blocker Hailey Murray each notched two blocks.
The Terps hit well against the Wolverines, posting a .246 hitting percentage in the match, including a .400 clip in the fourth set. Entering the match, Michigan had held opponents to a .188 hitting percentage.
The teams traded points to start the first set. Twilley and MacGregor combined for a block and Teach posted kills as the Terps went on a 3-0 run to take a 15-13 lead. Maryland worked itself to a 20-17 lead before the Wolverines came back to tie. With a 5-0 run, Michigan took a 23-20 advantage. With the home team at set point, Elliott notched a kill, but the Wolverines were able to close it, 25-22.
The Wolverines used a series of runs to manage the second set. The Terps were able to tie and a Twilley kill put Maryland ahead, 8-7. Michigan used a 4-0 run to take a 12-9 advantage. The Terps were able to stay competitive and just a few points behind, led by five kills from Elliott. After another kill from Twilley, the Wolverines used a 6-0 run to finish the set, 25-16.
After starting the third set tied, Michigan used a 3-0 run to take an 8-4 lead. MacGregor served an ace to put the Terps back within two at 10-8. The Wolverines used another 3-0 run to take a 15-11 advantage. The Terps continued to stay within a few points before Michigan took a 23-21 lead. With kills from MacGregor and Elliott, Maryland was able to extend match point twice before the Wolverines closed it, 25-23.
Michigan's Abby Cole led the match with 18 kills.
The Terps are back in action next week in a home-and-home with Rutgers (3-16, 0-7). Maryland travels to Piscataway, N.J., for the first meeting Wednesday at 7 p.m. before hosting the Scarlet Knights Saturday in College Park at 7 p.m.
-Maryland-
