Maryland volleyball bows to No. 12 Oregon in straight sets

Clinging to the final spot in the Big Ten tournament for dear life, Maryland volleyball rose to the occasion in the second set against No. 12 Oregon.

Valentina Vaulet sent a serve flying past the baseline, awarding Maryland a point. Recovering from sending a free ball, the Terps gained their composure, and Sydney Bryant rose and shot a bullet to the corner of the Ducks’ territory.

Miscue, rejection, miscue. Oregon was shaken. Five straight points for the Terps propelled them over the intimidating Ducks in the middle of set two. 

Unfortunately for Maryland, the media timeout marked the end of this short-lived momentum. Errors and an overburdened defense wrecked the Terps’ hopes of what could’ve been a season-saving rally against one of the nation’s top volleyball programs. 

Oregon fundamentally overwhelmed Maryland offensively and outkilled the Terps 51-27 to win in straight sets. Maryland now stands at a demoralizing 2-9 in the Big Ten and had another rough performance against a gritty conference opponent.

Haley Melby stumbled out of the gate with a service error to open up the match. Maryland responded with a block by Brooklynne Brass and Duru Gökçen to even the score, but Oregon quickly established control behind a pair of kills from Dalia Vîrlan and Vaulet. The 

The Terps struggled to score early, trading service errors and attack mistakes as the Ducks built an advantage. Maryland managed to stay within striking distance, using kills from Bryant to keep the deficit manageable. However, Oregon created separation midway through the set, capitalizing on Maryland’s miscues while Sjakkie Donkers provided a steady presence.

The Ducks stretched their lead to 17-10 before eventually closing out the set, 25-18.

With the game tied at five apiece, Maryland looked primed for a competitive second set. Oregon briefly took the lead with two kills, and the Terps answered harshly with five unanswered points to take an early set lead. Oregon couldn’t storm back in the middle of the set, allowing Maryland to take a four-point lead at the media timeout. 

Maryland’s near-perfect second set quickly turned into a disaster class. Coming out of the break, Oregon’s front row stuffed Ava Brown’s attack at the net. A struggling Brass logged a kill that was immediately followed by a 4-1 run for the Ducks. Maryland failed to halt these streaks and attack effectively to maintain its lead down the stretch.

The Terps’ offense fell apart as they committed four times as many attack errors in the second half of the frame compared to the first. Oregon took the second set, 25-21, with the help of Terp blunders and a post-break offense firing on all cylinders. 

Maryland shot out to a 7-4 lead, assisted by a couple of unforced errors by the Ducks’ offense. Despite holding on to a slight early lead, the Terps couldn’t hold off the Ducks in hopes of avoiding a sweep.

The Ducks eventually closed the short gap and tied the match at 10-10. Maryland didn’t have a glimpse of hope for the remainder of the game. Oregon created three points of separation going into the break and only built on it coming out. 

An immediate statement service ace prompted Maryland head coach Adam Hughes to burn his first timeout of the set. A 3-1 Oregon spurt forced him to exhaust his second. The stoppages merely gave the Ducks enough rest to come back and pummel the Terps to close the contest.

Oregon opposite hitter Alanah Clemente grabbed the broom and brushed four straight kills into the dustpan to ignite the final push for a sweep. After the longest review of the night, Oregon had its game-deciding point to claim the third and final set, 25-18.

Three things to know

1. Sold second set. Maryland held control of the second frame through 20 points. Despite the momentum built throughout the set, the Terps couldn’t hold onto their early-set lead and folded under pressure, failing to close out the frame. Too often, the Terps hold a lead and fail to lock down a second-set win that instantly makes a match competitive.

2. Late-season slip. The defeat against Oregon marks Maryland’s fifth straight loss, three of them being sweeps. The Terps consistently struggle to play competitively against top-tier Big Ten opponents. 

3. Postseason hanging in the balance. Maryland currently ranks 15th in the Big Ten standings, the last spot to make the tournament. With three nationally ranked teams remaining in the conference slate, the Terps will have to fight tooth and nail to hold on to their spot and reach the goal Hughes sought in the preseason.