#23 Michigan
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Maryland
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The Maryland volleyball team posted 15 total blocks and picked a set off No. 23 Michigan as the teams battled on Friday evening in Cliff Keen Arena. The Wolverines (14-3, 3-2 B1G) defeated the Terps (8-9, 0-5) by set scores of 27-25, 25-18, 21-25, 25-21.
“I thought we did some really good things tonight, but we made too many errors late in the game,” head coach Steve Aird said. “We are growing up, learning and competing hard. Everyone understands how tough this conference is. We just have to keep working.”
This is the first time Maryland has won a game against Michigan since the Terps took the Wolverines to four sets on Sept. 4, 1998.
Maryland and Michigan competed closely for the entire match as the teams tied 36 times and the lead changed 13 times.
Freshman outside hitter and Romeo, Mich., native Gia Milana led the Terrapins with 16 kills and 15 digs. Junior middle blocker Hailey Murray and sophomore opposite hitter Angel Gaskin each posted seven kills.
Maryland made eight solo blocks against Michigan, including three from Murray and two each from Gaskin and freshman setter Taylor Smith.
The Terps began the match with a 3-1 lead before a few Maryland errors allowed Michigan to take a 7-4 lead. The teams remained within a point of each other through the middle of the set. Senior Ashlyn MacGregor and Gsakin combined for a block to tie the set, 19-19, and force a Wolverine timeout. Michigan rattled off the next three points but sophomore Liz Twilley and Murray responded with a pair of points to pull Maryland within one, 22-21. Milana posted two late kills, but a pair of Terrapin errors closed the set for Michigan, 27-25.
The teams again played closely in the second game as a Murray solo block kept the set tied, 10-10. Michigan went on a 7-0 run to force a Maryland timeout at 18-13. MacGregor posted a kill to pull within three, 20-17, but the Wolverines used a 5-1 run to take a 2-0 match lead into intermission.
Murray and Twilley posted early kills in set three and a Murray-Smith block followed by a Smith kill forced a Michigan timeout at 8-5. The Wolverines came back to tie the set, 10-10, and took a 13-11 lead. The teams tied multiple teams as Maryland fought to stay alive, and a Milana kill tied the set for the final time, 20-20. Gaskin posted a solo block and combined with MacGregor to pos a pair of late blocks, including the set winner, 25-21.
Twilley and Gaskin helped Maryland take a 4-1 advantage in the fourth set. Milana and MacGregor posted kills as the Terps jumped ahead, 11-6. The Wolverines fought back to tie the set, 14-14, before taking the lead. A Smith solo block gave the Terrapins the lead back, 17-16. Michigan used a run, including two straight blocks, to retake the lead and force a Maryland timeout at 21-19. The Terps tied the set one last time at 21-21, but the Wolverines were able to hold on and close the set, 25-21.
The Terps face their third straight ranked opponent when they face No. 21 Michigan State (14-3, 3-2) on Saturday at 8 p.m. The Spartans swept No. 14 Ohio State on Friday evening.
-Maryland-
