Determined to earn a win against No. 20 Washington on the road, Maryland fell short – but not without a fight.

Following a nail-biting four sets, Maryland’s win was just out of reach, losing 3-1 to Washington.

“We had some windows that we weren’t able to capitalize on, and for a young team, that’s the hurdle we’re trying to overcome,” head coach Adam Hughes said.

The Terps came into each set hot, taking early leads that built confidence and kept the game close. 

Maryland used Washington’s offensive shortcomings to win the first set, their first road win this season, 26-24.

With help from freshmen Brooklynne Brass and Ava Brown and senior Eva Rohrbach, Maryland hit .237 in the first set.

The Terps and the Huskies were tied up 23-23, but critical moments proved to be opportunities for these young hitters to shine and power down intense kills. Rohrbach sealed the deal on the slide to win the set. 

“I thought we battled in a good environment, over 3000 fans here, and did a good job standing firm in game one. Really got into it, and we were able to execute,” Hughes said.

Freshman Kaitlyn Nguyen scooped up 18 balls throughout the match, saving Washington from Maryland attacks. 

Alongside Nguyen’s back-row defense, the Washington block proved difficult for the Terps; the Huskies stopped 11 blocks to the Terps’ nine.

Senior Sydney Bryant shined in the second set, with crucial kills and blocks to help the Terps pull ahead following the media timeout. With a kill and a block to finish the extended set, Bryant earned a .333 hitting percentage and showcased her strategic play. 

After a hot streak of points late in the second set, Maryland struggled to execute from the service line, with players across the roster serving too long in an attempt to place the ball deep. This resulted in fatal mistakes that cost the set, 26-28.

The Huskies’ deep, strategically placed serves led to four reception errors from Maryland.

Coming into the game, Washington had built a reputation for strong serves, which they upheld today and showed why Maryland needs to keep building its serving and reception skills. 

“I don’t think we’re necessarily timid; I just don’t think that we’re trusting the situation or the moment to let our skills take over,” Hughes said. “So, [the] young group needs to stay in it. It’s the only way you’re going to learn how to do it is to keep fighting to get yourself back into it.”

In response to the Huskies’ serves, the Terps dished out a few aces themselves. Melby was especially well-versed with aces, serving four total and two in the fourth set to help close the point gap. 

Freshman libero Raina Chwialkowski also helped with the team’s aggressive serving, contributing four aces and digging up 10 balls throughout.

However, this aggressive approach led to a series of long serves that hurt their chances; they suffered 11 service errors to the Huskies’ five.

The tight race continued in the fourth set, again showing a one-point difference at the media timeout. However, against the Huskies’ .400 hitting percentage, the Terps couldn’t pull away, falling 22-25 in the fourth.

“I expect these guys to take this and stay hungry from it. And hopefully, we can find a way to close out some matches,” Hughes said.