Box Score COLLEGE PARK, MD -- Trailing 2-1 after three sets, Maryland volleyball rallied to force a decisive fifth set, but was ultimately defeated by Illinois in heartbreaking fashion (21-25, 25-22, 15-25, 25-20, 10-15) on Friday night in the XFINITY Center Pavilion. 

With their backs against a wall, Maryland never trailed en route to a fourth-set victory. In the final frame, the Terps responded to a 6-3 deficit to tie the deciding stanza at 8-8. However, the Fighting Illini closed out the match on a 7-2 run, denying Maryland its first win over Illinois in program history.

Senior setter Sydney Dowler etched her name in the program record books during the match, as an assist in the third set made the setter the sixth Terp ever to record 3,000 or more assists. She contributed her fourth double-double of the campaign, dishing out 40 assists along with 11 digs on the night.

Senior outside hitter Sam Csire notched a double-double on the night, finishing with 12 kills and 17 digs. Senior pin hitter Samantha Schnitta joined Csire in double-digit kills, leading the Terps with 14 kills, while Lilly Gunter added a season-high 26 digs. Maryland now sits at 13-8 overall and 4-5 in the Big Ten. 

The Terps held a 57-50 advantage in total kills, but the Fighting Illini out-blocked the Terps 17-4.

Illinois (9-10, 4-5) was led by 15 kills from Jessica Nunge. 

How It Happened

Set 1: Illinois 25 - Maryland 21

• An early Eva Rohrbach kill put Maryland up 2-1 early.
• The Terps opened up a 4-2 lead thanks to an early Sam Csire ace. 
• As Illinois went on a run to build a 14-10 run, Rohrbach and Dowler combined for a big block to get the Maryland crowd fired up. 
• A Lilly Gunter service ace highlighted a 6-0 Maryland run late in the set as the Terps continued to cut into the deficit, making it 22-20.
• Illinois took three of the next four points to come away with the set. 

Set 2: Maryland 25 - Illinois 22 

• Samantha Schnitta notched the first kill of a big second set for the Terps. 
• The Terps went up 6-5 thanks to a big ace from Dowler. 
• After Illinois took the lead, Csire and Ivey both notched kills to keep Maryland within one. 
• A big kill from Anastasia Russ knotted the set at 15 apiece. 
• Eva Rohrbach put Maryland up 18-17 and then later notched a big ace out of a timeout to make it a 22-19 Maryland lead. 
• Russ finished off the frame with a kill to give the Terps the win. 

Set 3: Illinois 25 - Maryland 15

• With the Terps down 10-6 in the set, Dowler placed a perfect set to Schnitta, giving her 3,000 assists for her career. 
• Sam Csire reached her double-double in the third frame. 

Set 4: Maryland 25 - Illinois 20

• Dowler put down a smooth kill to polish off an early 6-0 Maryland run that put the Terps ahead 9-3
• The fighting Illini briefly grabbed the lead but an Erin Morrissey putaway tied it at 12-12. 
• The Terps put together their second 6-0 run of the frame to pull ahead 17-12, capped off by a big block from Anastasia Russ. 
• Two straight kills from Rohrbach put Maryland ahead 21-16.
• Morrissey's third kill of the night put a bow on the frame, giving the Terps the five-point victory.

Set 5: Illinois 15 - Maryland 10

• Trailing 6-3, the Terps rattled up three consecutive points to tie the frame up and force an Illinois timeout. Erin Engel capped off the run with a service ace. 
• Coming out of the timeout, the Terps pulled ahead thanks to a big kill from Russ. 
• An Illinois run gave them an 11-8 advantage and forced Maryland head coach Adam Hughes to call a timeout. The Terps were unable to finish the comeback from that point. 

Numbers to Know

• 2: For the first time this season, Maryland saw two players record double-doubles, as Sam Csire (12 kills, 17 digs) and Sydney Dowler (40 assists, 11 digs) became the first duo to accomplish the feat for Maryland since they themselves reached the milestone last November against Ohio State.
• 4: With Lilly Gunter (27), Sam Csire (17), Jonna Spohn (11) and Sydney Dowler (11), the Terps had four players with double-digit digs for the first time this season.
• 5: Seven different Terps recorded at least five kills in the match.
• 17: Sam Csire collected a career-best 17 digs.
• 27: Lilly Gunter contributed 27 digs, her most in a Maryland jersey.
• 40: Sydney Dowler dished out 40 assists or more for the sixth time this season.
• 1,479: Lilly Gunter drew closer to the 1,500 career digs milestone, racking up 26 to put her total at 1,479. 
• 3,000: With a dish in the third set on a kill from Samantha Schnitta, senior setter Sydney Dowler became the sixth player in Maryland volleyball history to reach 3,000 assists. She is now just 20 away from passing Remy McBain (3,034 assists, 2009-12) to reach fifth place on the Maryland assist leaderboard. 

Up Next

• The Terps are back at it in College Park tomorrow night, hosting Iowa at 7 pm on B1G+. 
• The match is the Dig Pink Match. In honor of breast cancer awareness month, fans are encouraged to wear pink. Proceeds from an online fundraiser will benefit the Side-Out Foundation. 
• Additionally, the match is Terrapin Club Night, where all Terrapin Club donors at the Bronze level and above may claim a complimentary ticket for themselves and four guests, and Faculty and Staff Appreciation Night, where all university faculty and staff members may bring two guests to the match for discounted admission.