Indiana
0
3
Maryland
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Sophomore outside hitter Gia Milana knocked down 11 kills as the Maryland volleyball team (12-2, 1-1 B1G) took down Indiana (11-3, 0-2) in straight sets (25-17, 25-19, 26-24) Saturday evening.
“It's great to get our first Big Ten win this season,” head coach Steve Aird said. “It's tough to compete on the road in the conference, and I think the team rose to the challenge and fought hard tonight.”
With the win over the Hoosiers, the Terps matched their win total from last season. Since joining the Big Ten in 2014, this is the earliest in the season that Maryland has won a conference match.
Milana and freshman outside hitter Erika Pritchard were lethal from the service line against Indiana. Pritchard tallied four service aces while Milana added three. The Terps served nine aces versus the Hoosiers.
Senior middle blocker Hailey Murray notched nine kills on a .667 clip and had a hand on four of Maryland's six blocks. Junior libero Kelsey Wicinski led the match with 16 digs.
Maryland hit 13 kills on a .375 clip to handle the first set. The Terps hit Maryland took a quick 10-2 lead to start the match, including aces from Milana and Abigail Bentz. A pair of Milana kills put the Terps ahead at 17-8, and a Murray-Samantha Drechsel block gave Maryland a 23-14 advantage. A Hoosier service error put the Terps at set point, and Angel Gaskin posted the game-winning kill, 25-17.
The Terrapins continued their offensive production into the second set, hitting 14 kills on a .400 hitting percentage. Maryland and Indiana traded points early before kills from Murray helped the Terps take a 10-6 lead. A 4-0 run, including an ace from Samantha Snyder, put Maryland ahead 14-7. Pritchard followed a kill with back-to-back aces as the Terps took a 21-12 advantage, and the team reached set point at 24-14. Indiana extended the set with a 5-0 run before Milana notched the final kill, 25-19.
Maryland's offensive output slowed in the third set, but Indiana errors helped the Terps take a 10-7 lead. The Hoosiers came back to tie and took a 20-16 lead in the game. Maryland went on a 3-1 run, including a Murray-Drechsel block, to pull within one, 20-19. Milana served back-to-back aces to tie the set and give the Terrapins the lead back, 23-22. Indiana notched two straight points to reach set point, 24-23, but Gaskin and Pritchard tallied kills to give Maryland match point, 25-24. Jada Gardner posted a solo block in the middle to win the set, 26-24.
The Terps are on the road again next weekend, taking on Michigan State on Friday and No. 20 Michigan on Saturday. Both matches are scheduled for 7 p.m.
-Maryland-
