COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Led by senior outside hitter Adreené Elliott's first career double-double, the Maryland volleyball team defeated Rutgers in four sets for the Terps' first Big Ten win of the season. The Terrapins (11-13, 1-9 B1G) defeated the Scarlet Knights (4-18, 1-9) by set scores of 23-25, 25-23, 25-22 and 25-19.
“It's great for the team to get our first Big Ten win, but I think there's still a lot that needs to be improved,” head coach Steve Aird said. “I think Rutgers played really hard and there were times that we didn't play as well as we are capable of. The team grinded to get the win, so I'm proud that they kept fighting.”
Elliott's double-double came on 19 kills and 10 digs. Junior setter Whitney Craigo had a strong outing with a career-high six kills and a career-high six blocks on top of 39 assists and three service aces. Freshman libero Kelsey Wicinski set a personal best and led the match with 23 digs.
With the win over the Scarlet Knights, Maryland reached 11 victories on the season, surpassing the 2014 win total.
The Terps took an 8-6 lead in set one before the Scarlet Knights tied the game at 9-9. Craigo served two straight aces and Maryland went on a 7-1 run to take a 16-12 lead. Rutgers came back to tie the set at 20-20 before taking a 22-20 lead. Elliott and Ashlyn MacGregor notched late kills but the Scarlet Knights finished the set, 25-23.
The teams started set two trading points before two straight blocks from Craigo and Hailey Murray gave the Terps an 8-5 lead. A Craigo kill forced a Rutgers timeout as the Terps led 10-6. Craigo notched two more kills as Maryland led 18-15. Angel Gaskin posted a kill at 23-21 and Elliott ended the set with a kill for a 25-23 win.
The teams again started the set trading points before the Terps went on a 4-0 run to take an 11-6 lead. The Scarlet Knights were able to tie the set at 18-18 and took a 21-19 lead. A MacGregor kill and another ace from Craigo helped the Terps retake the lead, 22-21, and Samantha Higginbothem won the set 25-22 with a service ace.
Maryland started set four on a 5-1 run before Rutgers came back to tie. The Scarlet Knights took the lead before a kill from Elliott pushed Maryland ahead, 12-11. A service ace from MacGregor put the Terps at a 20-16 lead. Liz Twilley notched two kills and a solo block as Maryland took a 24-17 lead. Craigo, Murray and MacGregor combined for the final block of the night to end the set, 25-19, and the match, 3-1.
The Terps take a road trip to Iowa (10-13, 0-10) and No. 3 Nebraska (16-4, 7-3) next Friday and Saturday for a pair of 8 p.m. matches. Both outings will be streamed on BTN Plus.
-Maryland-
