WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Maryland volleyball team (7-2) went 1-1 on the second day of the Georgetown Classic on Saturday afternoon. The Terps fell to Towson in five sets (13-25, 20-25, 25-22, 25-21, 13-15) before defeated Georgetown in three (25-23, 25-18, 25-22).
Senior middle blocker Ashlyn MacGregor and sophomore libero Kelsey Wicinski were named to the all-tournament team, and have been all-tournament selections each week this season.
Against the Tigers, freshman outside hitter Gia Milana led the match with 18 kills while Wicinski notched a match-high 23 digs. MacGregor led with seven blocks and freshman Taylor Smith dished 29 assists.
Against the Hoyas, MacGregor led Maryland with 12 kills on a .688 clip. Smith made 19 assists while senior setter Whitney Craigo made 13.
Match 1: Towson 3, Maryland 2
The Maryland volleyball team fought back from down 2-0 before narrowly falling to Towson in five sets (13-25, 20-25, 25-22, 25-21, 13-15) in the afternoon.
“We played a really good volleyball team in Towson, and I think we didn't start aggressively enough,” head coach Steve Aird said. “We started playing well late, but we ran out of time. Credit to Towson, I thought they did a lot of good things. I have to work on making sure I prepare my team better so they're ready at the opening whistle.”
The Tigers controlled the first set, jumping out to a 10-5 lead. Maryland was unable to cover much ground as Towson pulled ahead, 22-11, with a block. The Tigers were able to close the set, 25-13.
The Terps and Tigers stayed even early in set two before Towson used four straight kills to take a 10-7 lead. Towson used a 4-0 run to take a 17-10 lead. Kills from Milana and junior Hailey Murray put Maryland within four, 19-15. Sophomore outside hitter Liz Twilley had three late kills, but a Towson block gave the Tigers a 25-20 set win.
Maryland came out aggressively in set three, taking a 9-5 lead off an ace from Milana. The Tigers came back to tie the set, 13-13, but the Terps managed to pull ahead again, 18-15. Murray posted Maryland's final two kills as the Terrapins won the set, 25-22.
Towson pulled out to a 7-4 lead early inset four before a block from Smith and MacGregor and a Twilley kill tied the set. A MacGregor kill tied the set again, 10-10, and a Murray solo block and Smith kill gave the Terps a 15-13 lead. Maryland continued its momentum, using a timeout ahead 20-18. Murray and Smith notched a block at 23-20, and a Murray kill put Maryland at set point. Wicinski closed the set and tied the match with a service ace.
The Tigers began set five on a 4-1 run before a pair of kills from Milana and a block from MacGregor and Twilley tied the set, 7-7. After the Tigers took a 10-7 lead, Maryland fought back to tie the set, 11-11, and took the lead on a Milana kill at 13-12. Towson was able to tally three straight points to win the set, 15-13.
Match 2: Maryland 3, Georgetown 0
The Terps closed the Georgetown Classic with a sweep over the home team (25-23, 25-18, 25-22) in the evening.
“Georgetown competes and has some really good athletes,” Aird said. “We found a way to come back in each set and win, so I'm proud of the fight the team showed.”
The Hoyas started set one on a 4-0 run before three Terp kills and a block from Murray and sophomore opposite hitter Angel Gaskin tied the set. Georgetown took the lead again, but a Murray-Craigo block and a Milana service ace pulled Maryland within two, 9-7. The Hoyas continued to lead, pushing ahead 17-13. With Georgetown ahead 21-16, the Terps went on a 6-1 run to tie the set, 22-22. MacGregor and Gaskin posted kills to win the first frame, 25-23.
Maryland took a quick 5-1 lead in set two before Georgetown went on a 5-0 run to take a 6-5 advantage. The Terrapins used a 5-0 run, including two kills from Milana, to retake the lead, 13-11. After two Hoyas points, a 3-0 run forced a Georgetown timeout at 16-14. Maryland continued to lead, and closed the set with a pair of kills from Twilley and MacGregor, 25-18.
The Hoyas jumped out to an 8-3 lead in set three. Smith hit a pair of kill and Twilley added one to pull the Terps within three, 10-7. Georgetown used another run to push ahead 15-9, but Milana had a kill and a solo block to help pull within four, 17-13. The Terps used strong serving from freshman Megan McTigue and three kills from Twilley to take the lead, 22-19. Craigo and MacGregor notched late kills and a Hoyas service error gave Maryland a 25-22 set win.
The Terps travel to Los Angeles, Calif., next week for the final nonconference tournament of the season. Maryland will face No. 6 Washington, Oklahoma (RV) and No. 24 USC in the Pac-12 Challenge on Thursday and Friday.
– Maryland –
