After being swept by No. 10 Purdue (8-2, 1-0 Big Ten), Maryland Volleyball (10-3, 0-2 Big Ten) hoped to bounce back with an in-conference win against No. 18 Indiana (8-2, 1-0 Big Ten).
Maryland was unable to do so, losing in three sets, 25-17, 25-18, and 25-20.
The Hoosiers hit the ground running in the first set, playing at an incredibly fast pace the Terps were not ready for. The Terps attempts to match it resulted in constant errors.
The Hoosiers won the first set 25-17.
The Terps had flashes that showed they could keep up with the Hoosiers near the end of the set, but with six attack errors to the Hoosiers’ three, a 13.8 hitting percentage to 38.7, and 10 kills to 15, the Terps were unable to overcome their early-game mistakes.
The Terps and Hoosiers traded blows for quite a while in the second set, with the Terps unable to take the lead yet still preventing the Hoosiers from extending their lead much.
Freshman outside hitters Ava Brown and Brooklynne Brass were both big reasons for Maryland keeping pace with Indiana in the second set. Brown had five kills and 14 total attacks, and Brass had six kills and 20 total attacks before the third set began.
Indiana took hold of the game near the end of the set, winning 25-18. The Terps made the set interesting for the Hoosiers with more kills (15-14), more attack attempts (35-33), and a hitting percentage of 20, an improvement to the first set.
Despite those numbers, the Terps mistakes still plagued them throughout. With eight attack errors to the Hoosiers two, and Terps coach Adam Hughes receiving a yellow card for his protest to a decision, those mistakes and an inability to keep up the pace allowed the Hoosiers to take over in the end, putting themselves up two sets to zero.
The third set was the closest of the game, with Maryland dominating the later half of the set. Despite that, the Terps’ lack of consistency and effort to take advantage of the Hoosiers’ mistakes early on allowed Indiana to keep their foot on the gas and ended their sweep with a 25-20 win.
While it may have been a frustrating loss, players like Brass, Brown, and senior middle blocker Eva Rohrbach had great moments that kept each set competitive. Brass had six kills, 26 total attacks and one solo block, but a regrettable eight attack errors; Brown had nine kills, 23 total attacks; and Rohrbach had eight kills and 19 total attacks. Those three in particular made Indiana fans sweat every set.
