EAST LANSING, MI — Maryland (8-10, 1-7 Big Ten) faced a difficult road task on Sunday against Michigan State, but a day full of swings and momentum eventually fell the Spartans' way, resulting in the Terps' five-set loss to MSU (15-3, 5-3 Big Ten).
MSU opened the afternoon with a 25-18 first set win, despite several comeback pushes from the Terps. Both
Ajack Malual and
Haley Melby had big days for Maryland, collecting 15 and 11 kills, respectively.Â
The second set was all Terps. Maryland exploded out of the gate and finished the set on a 10-1 run, stunning the Spartans and knotting the match at a set a piece.Â
Michigan State responded to the third set, but Maryland erased an 8-1 deficit in the fourth set to force a winner-take-all fifth frame, which the Spartans took 15-13.
Duru Gökçen tallied four blocks and five kills and was responsible for nine total points on Sunday. Eva Rohrbach also added 5.5 blocks to her impressive season total.
The Spartans made an abundance of errors in the match, and Maryland did a good job capitalizing on them, but MSU was able to defend its home court and keep its impressive 2025 season moving.Â
How it Happened:
Set 1:
- A Gökçen kill got the match started.
- Malual's second kill of the day put UMD ahead 4-2.
- A 5-0 Spartan run put them ahead 7-4.
- MSU used an ace to take a 9-6 lead.Â
- A 5-0 Terps run featured a pair of kills from Haley Melby as Maryland came back within one, 16-15.Â
- MSU took advantage of an ace and a pair of UMD errors to claim a 21-16 lead.
- The Spartans won the opening set 25-18.
Set 2:
- Maryland stormed out to a 6-2 lead.Â
- A kill from Sydney Bryant put the Terps ahead 10-5.
- Marland used a 4-0 run to claim a 12-5 lead and force an MSU timeout.
- After an MSU rally, another 5-0 Maryland stretch gave the Terps a 20-13 advantage.Â
- A kill from Eva Rohrbach put the Terps ahead 22-14.
- The Terps finished the second set on a 5-0 run to even the day,Â
- Melby's fifth kill capped the 25-14 set win.
Set 3:
- Melby opened the set with a kill.
- An MSU ace evened the set at 2-2.
- A Rohrbach kill cut the Spartans' lead to 6-5.
- Michigan State's sixth ace gave MSU a 10-7 lead.
- The Spartans claimed a 15-12 lead at the media timeout.
- A Bryant kill brought Maryland to a 23-18 deficit.Â
- MSU won the set 25-20.
Set 4:
- The Spartans stormed out to an 8-1 lead in the fourth set.
- Malual gave the Terps their first ace of the day, cutting the deficit to 8-5.
- A trio of MSU errors let the Terps back into the set.Â
- A furious 6-0 Terrapin run brought Maryland flipped the set and put the Terps ahead 10-9.
- Another 4-0 run featured kills from Malual, Gökçen and Bryant to put UMD ahead 16-15.Â
- MSU's ninth ace put the Spartans ahead 17-16.
- The Terps took advantage of a trio of MSU errors to build a 4-0 run that put the Terps back ahead, 20-19.
- MSU spent a timeout as the Terps took a 22-20 lead.
- A kill from Rohrbach put Maryland two points from evening the day.
- A kill from Katie Scherer sealed Maryland's 25-20 set win.
Set 5:
- MSU opened a 2-0 lead.
- A Melby kill brought Maryland back within one, 5-4.Â
- Another Scherer kill kept UMD in it, but MSU led 6-5.
- The Spartans used a 4-0 run to take a 10-6 lead.
- A 4-0 run from UMD cut the Spartans' lead to 13-12.
- MSU finished the day with a 15-13Â set win.
Numbers to Know:
- 86: Rohrbach's five-block day gave her 86 on the season, good for a tie for second in the conference.Â
- 89: With four blocks on Sunday, Gökçen moves to first in the Big Ten with 89 on the season.
- 269: Malual now has 269 kills on the season, good for third in the Big Ten.
Up Next:
- The Terps head to the West Coast for a pair of ranked matches, the first coming on Oct. 23 against No. 22 USC. The match will start at 10 PM and air on B1G+.
