Maryland volleyball has had its moments in 2026. 

The Terps have multiple conference wins through six Big Ten games, something they failed to do through 20 conference games in 2025. 

Still, Saturday’s three-set loss to Wisconsin served as a reminder of where Maryland stands relative to the rest of the Big Ten. 

Defense was where the Terps struggled most, as they were outdone in blocks 11 to four.

After an ugly first-set loss, the Terps felt like a different team at the beginning of the second set in a 25-23 loss. 

Despite the loss, Maryland showed a competitiveness absent in previous seasons.

“I was really proud of our fight tonight…it’s a tough environment to play in, and I thought our young players came ready to go,” head coach Adam Hughes said.

They capitalized more on the attacks they sent through, with a hitting percentage of .250 compared to .194.

After a well-timed block by junior middle blocker Duru Gökçen and freshman outside hitter Ava Brown, the Terps sustained a hard-fought lead until the Badgers equalized it at eight to eight.

Key players like Brown and outside hitters Sydney Bryant and Brooklynne Brass all had 10 kills on 24 attacks, seven kills on 24 total attacks, and nine kills on 35 attacks, respectively, helping keep Maryland in the game.

After a kill from Brass, Maryland took the lead for the second time during the game, making it 18 to 17.

The Terps and Badgers continued to duke it out till the end of the set, with the Terps continuing to be quite the challenge until the Badgers ended the second set with a quick kill, making it 25-23.

The box score doesn’t show the full picture. Despite coming in as underdogs, Maryland came close to a set win and went on runs throughout the match.

The first and third sets served as both a wake-up call and a struggle to keep up the pace, respectively. Still, Maryland’s offense matched Wisconsin’s at times, showing growth from last year to now.

It did not take long for Wisconsin to take the lead in the first set.

The Terps only tied with the Badgers after the first two points of set one, 1-1. 

“I thought we did what we needed to do to try and stabilize, gave ourselves a window in game two to get back into things, and cut ourselves a lead late,” Hughes said.

Despite going on a one-and-six run early on, the Terps started to put up a fight after an Eva Rohrbach kill to make it four to eight. 

Unfortunately, Maryland could not keep up with Wisconsin’s pace in the first set, with the closest score being 8-12.

Despite having 14 more total attacks through the game, Maryland hit just .139 compared to Wisconsin’s .345.

Once again, Maryland started out strong with a kill by Duru Gökçen to open up the scoring. 

Wisconsin once again took the lead after a back-and-forth with Maryland. Wisconsin’s defense was the hardest to overcome, with x blocks to Maryland’s three; the Badgers’ front row kept it steady against Maryland’s never-ending attacks. 

The Terps attempted to keep up as the third set continued, but the Badgers responded with an eight-to-three run to make it 18-12.

“I was also proud that in game three we went right back at it, and didn’t see the team ever fold,” Hughes said.