Maryland Volleyball finished up their weekend at the Maryland Invite by losing a tough match against the Florida Gulf Coast Eagles, 3-1.
This was the first matchup between the teams ever, and both came into the match feeling good. The Terps swept their Friday matchups in convincing fashion, while Florida Gulf Coast also went 2-0 on Friday.
This game was shaped to be a big test for the Terps, as the Eagles finished last year with a 27-6 record and an NCAA Tournament run that ended in the second round. Coach Adam Hughes knew the challenge that was ahead of his team.
“We knew they were gonna be really good. I mean that’s the first thing. It’s why we wanted to make this tournament the way it is. We wanted to test ourselves a little bit and they return a ton, got some transfers, so we expected this to be a really challenging match,” said Hughes.
The first set started off rough for the Terps, with the Eagles jumping out to a commanding 6-1 lead early. Maryland fought back later in the set, sparking a 5-0 run sparked by kills from Sam Csire and Laila Ricks, tying the set.
From that point, the set was back and forth until the Eagles went on an 8-0 run, putting the set out of reach for the Terps.
The Terps dropped the first set 25-16.
Maryland started the second set on a better note, jumping out to a 7-3 lead. Rainelle Jones made her presence felt early, hustling to make multiple defensive efforts eventually leading to a Maryland point via an attacking error. The efforts got the crowd roaring, but Jones couldn’t tell.
“Yeah, honestly I don’t even hear the crowd, which is pretty insane to me, but I know the feeling of them all being there and the team as well,” Jones said.
The Eagles didn’t rest though. They battled through the whole set, eventually gaining a lead late in the set. The Eagles went on to win the set 25-23, despite a great Maryland effort.
The third set started out right for the Terps, as they went on a 6-1 run early in the set and jumped out to a 12-6 lead, a lead they would never relinquish. Maryland won the set 25-14.
The start of the fourth set mirrored that of the third with Maryland jumping out to an early lead. That lead slowly evaporated as the Eagles continued to claw their way back into the game eventually grabbing the lead.
That lead would end up holding through, with the Eagles winning the fourth set 25-14.
The Eagles won the match three sets to one. The shining star for Eagles was outside hitter Erin Shomaker who ended the night with 27 kills. The Terps’ defense had no answer for the offensive barrage.
“We were chasing her a little bit, but that’s because she’s an exceptional player that’s the reason she’s the best player in their conference,” said Hughes.
Though this was a tough loss for the Terps, the one thing this match showed was the resilience of this Maryland team. This fact was not lost to coach Hughes.
“You know we’re obviously disappointed with the loss but definitely not disappointed in the effort or the relentlessness of this group,” said Hughes.
The Terps’ next challenge comes on September 2nd when they take on Georgetown and Stony Brook at the Stony Brook Tournament. This will be the team’s first road test of the year.
