WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Outside hitter Adreené Elliott continued her dominance in Big Ten play with 21 kills on .415 hitting as the Maryland volleyball team fell to No. 18 Purdue, 3-1 (19-25, 25-18, 17-25, 23-25), Saturday evening.
“Purdue is a great, well-coached team,” head coach Steve Aird said. “I was proud of the way we were able to fight and compete tonight. We have a pretty young lineup, so to see them be able to step up and play well in this environment and against great athletes is a step in the right direction for this program.”
For the fourth straight outing, Elliott led the match in kills. Through four Big Ten matches, the senior is averaging 4.43 kills per set on .297 hitting. Elliott also set a new career record with five service aces against the Boilermakers.
The Terps controlled the beginning of the match as a pair of kills from Hailey Murray helped push the team ahead, 4-2. After Maryland went up, 11-9, the Boilermakers came back to tie the set at 12-12. Three straight points pushed Purdue ahead, 17-15. Elliott and Angel Gaskin posted late kills but the home team was able to close the set on a 4-0 lead to take a 25-19 set win.
Elliott dominated the second set as she posted six of Maryland's first eight points, including three service aces. A block from Murray and Whitney Craigo put the Terps ahead, 17-11. Amy Dion served an ace and Ashlyn MacGregor and Gaskin notched kills before a kill from Elliott wont he set for Maryland, 25-18.
Elliott again led the Terps in the third set as she posted four early kills. Liz Twilley helped out with a pair of kills as the teams tied, 9-9. After two straight kills from Murray tied the set again at 14-14, the Boilermakers notched five of the next six points to take a 20-15 lead. Purdue was able to close the set on four straight points.
With the match on the line, Elliott notched three kills and an ace to give the Terps a 7-2 lead in set four. MacGregor and Twilley combined for two straight blocks to put Maryland ahead, 10-4. The Boilermakers managed to come back and tie the set, 16-16. Gaskin's kill put Maryland ahead, 20-19, and another from the freshman pushed the Terps to a 23-21 lead. The 18th-ranked Boilermakers talked four straight points to take the set, 25-23, and the match, 3-1.
Craigo posted a career-best 40 assists and five blocks. MacGregor led the match with six blocks and Kelsey Wicinski led the Terps with 12 digs.
The Terps outblocked Purdue, 9.5-6, while the Boilermakers held a 46-30 lead in digs and a 58-51 advantage in kills. Annie Drews led Purdue with 17 kills.
Maryland returns to College Park next weekend to host No. 16 Minnesota Friday and No. 19 Wisconsin Saturday. Both matches are scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be streamed on BTN Plus.
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