PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The Maryland volleyball team hit at a .343 percentage over two matches to pick up two straight-set wins over New Hampshire and Temple on Friday.
 
"Proud of how we responded tonight against Temple with a complete performance," said head coach Adam Hughes. "We started on time and we played all the way through. Looking forward to a good battle tomorrow with a tough Princeton team to wrap up nonconference play."
 
The Terps posted 88 kills on the day, led by 29 from sophomore outside hitter Erika Pritchard, who hit .362. Maryland outhit both the Wildcats and Owls, .343 to .129.
 
Redshirt sophomore middle blocker Katie Myers led the team with seven blocks and six aces on the day. Sophomore setter Nicole Alford posted 67 assists while freshman libero Allegra Rivas totaled 30 digs.
 
TEMPLE
Outside hitters Liz Twilley and Erika Pritchard totaled 27 kills, hitting a combined .365 as the Terps used an overall solid offensive performance to dispatch Temple in straight-sets (25-10, 25-20, 25-17).
 
Freshman libero Allegra Rivas and sophomore defensive specialist/libero Samantha Burgio both notched double-digit kills, adding up for a total of 27 to lead the defensive efforts. Three Terps, freshman middle blocker Rainelle Jones, sophomore middle blocker Jada Gardner and redshirt sophomore middle blocker Katie Myers recorded three blocks.
 
Maryland secured its largest point differential of the season in the first set, winning the frame 25-10. The Terps outhit Temple .571 to .097, securing 22 kills to the Owls six. It marked the largest set advantage for Maryland since the Terps held Delaware State to five points in the third set of a match on August 27, 2016. The 22 kills in the set were the most for the Terps since securing 23 vs. Oklahoma on September 16, 2016.
 
In the second set, Twilley hit .500, notching five kills. Gardner and junior setter Samantha Snyder both recorded aces, Rivas had seven digs and the Terps won it 25-20.
 
Closing out one of the Terps better all-around matches of the season, Maryland won the final set by a score of 25-17. Pritchard led with six kills, hitting .500 while Gardner notched three blocks as part of the Terps' four.
 
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Maryland committed a season-low eight attack errors in a three-set victory (25-17, 25-20, 25-21) over New Hampshire to begin the Cherry & White Classic.

All three sets followed a similar script, as Maryland started off slow but rallied to take each of the three sets convincingly. In the first, the Terps trailed 14-12, before going on a 13-3 run to start the match off strong. In the second, Maryland was down 12-4, before winning 19 of the next 25 points to go up 23-18 and ultimately take the set 25-20. In the third, the Terps were trailing 14-10 before going on a run to take it, 25-21, and end the match.
 
Redshirt sophomore Katie Myers was key in the match, notching five service aces and four blocks, tying her season high in aces. Myers helped accelerate the Terps push in the first set with a five-serve run that included two aces and a kill by the redshirt sophomore.
 
Sophomore outside hitter Erika Pritchard led Maryland with 14 kills and nine digs, hitting at a .424 clip and committing zero errors. Freshman middle blocker Rainelle Jones notched seven kills on 10 attacks with two blocks. Freshman libero Allegra Rivas led the way with 13 digs while sophomore setter Nicole Alford tallied 34 assists.
 
UP NEXT
Maryland (9-2) will play their final nonconference match of the season tomorrow as the Terps face 2017 NCAA Tournament Team, Princeton at 2:00 p.m. Following tomorrow, Maryland will move on to Big Ten play, beginning with Rutgers on Wednesday, September 19 at 7:00 in College Park.