Maryland’s winning streak grew to three as the Terps completed an incredible upset, winning their match against No. 9 Purdue in a sweep. 

Maryland came into this match as the clear underdogs facing a top-ranked Purdue team. The Terps had plenty of momentum going into the game, coming off two-straight sweeps of Rutgers and Northwestern. 

Purdue has been a juggernaut all season, boasting a 15-2 record. The team’s only two losses came against No. 4 Louisville and No. 7 Wisconsin. Purdue ranks in the top five in the Big Ten in both hitting percentage and kills per set, setting up a battle of strengths between Maryland’s top-ranked defense and Purdue’s offense.

Both teams struggled to gain any rhythm at the start of the set. There were seven ties within the first 16 points of the set, contributing to a classic back-and-forth affair. The Terps were the first to gain any type of separation, going on a 3-0 scoring run to earn an 11-8 lead. 

The Boilermakers countered that run with a five-point swing of their own, earning them a two-point lead. After a timeout by head coach Adam Hughes, Maryland came back to tie the set and eventually gain a lead. Purdue battled back to tie it at 22, but a Maryland 3-0 scoring run capped off by a Dowler ace earned them a set-one victory. 

The Terps dominated the start of set two going on an early 6-0 scoring run to earn a 9-4 lead. The Terps had control the whole set, fending off Purdue’s best runs. Maryland’s set wins never felt in doubt as they won the set 25-19, stunning the crowd at Holloway Gymnasium. 

Maryland looked poised to pull off the upset going into the third set, which Maryland had won 15 times this year.

“After the first two sets, we talked about keeping our composure. We talked about that all weekend, staying confident,” said setter Sydney Dowler. 

Purdue looked like they had finally figured out Maryland’s attack, jumping out to a 10-7 lead in set three. Purdue looked like the No. 9 ranked team throughout the set, never letting Maryland get too close. It appeared that the Boilermakers would go on to win set three as they held a commanding 21-15 lead late in the set, but the Terps had different plans. 

Maryland scored six straight to tie Purdue at 21. The two teams traded points until a crucial play by Maddie Naumann captured all the momentum for Maryland. Naumann made a diving play on the right side of the net, hitting the ball up over the net to a surprised Boilermaker team.

“Once you get a play or two like that, the gym got a little bit quieter,” Hughes said. “We got a little bit more juice, and then it’s kind of an even match.”

Purdue couldn’t handle the ball leading to Naumann’s first kill and sparking a 3-0 Maryland scoring run to win set three 25-23.

This upset earns Maryland its first win versus a ranked opponent this year and the first time they have beaten a top-ten ranked team since their victory over Wisconsin a year ago. This is just the second time in program history that Maryland has beaten a ranked opponent on the road. The first came in 2018 when they beat Michigan in Ann Arbor. 

This is also the first time since Maryland joined Big Ten in 2014 that they have beaten a top-ten-ranked opponent on the road. 

“We do have the power and the team that we know where we’re together, we’re all on we can do that,” said Dowler. 

“I think Becca [Acevedo] and the staff have done a good job getting us to just kind of a medium ground. Milan has taken a really good ownership role. And she’s been a really good leader with the people around her,” Hughes said.

The defense continues to be dominant, out blocking every opponent they have faced and holding prolific hitters to low hitting percentages.

“There was some elite one-on-one moves that Laila [Ricks] played on [Hudson]. And, you know, once you do that, you start making people think about what shots, they had to change offense a little bit, so a really good showing,” said Hughes. 

The Terps won’t be able to rest on this victory for very long, as they have another ranked opponent right around the corner. They will take on the No. 14 Penn State Nittany Lions on Friday.