By Ifeanyi Uzoukwu
Head coach Steve Aird and his Terrapins notched its second in over Rutgers in less than a week, when they defeated the Scarlet Knights in five sets (25-27, 25-21, 25-19, 21-25, 15-9).
The first set started out very even, as both teams stayed close to each other. Overall the first set saw 14 ties and nine lead changes. A kill by senior Ashleigh Crutcher had tied the set at 25, before Rutgers was able to capitalize on two errors committed by the Terps, winning the first set 27-25.
The second set saw a more energized showing from the Terps as they took a 10-7 lead midway through the set, after junior Emily Fraik, and sophomore Chavi St. Hill each keyed a very important kill. After Rutgers had begun to close in on the Terps’ lead, they were forced to dig deep. The Terps were able to hold off the Scarlet Knights for the remainder of the set after Emily Fraik recorded three kills.
After an eight all tie in the third set the Terps continued to play with intensity as they were able to score seven of the following 10 points. Sophomore Ashlyn MacGregor recorded two service aces during the rally. Maryland was able to win the third set off of kills from freshman Hailey Murray, St.Hill, and junior Kelsey Hrebenach. After a third set 25-19 win, the Terps were within one set victory of improving on their overall 8-12 record.
However as it was on Tuesday, Rutgers would prove to be a pesky team. The fourth set saw the Terps fall behind 12-4 after a strong showing by Rutgers’ Alex Lassa. Although Maryland had fought back, with Fraik recorded a service ace and Crutcher getting five more kills, their effort was not enough as Rutgers evened up the match by winning their second set, 25-21.
In the fifth set the Terps jumped out to a 5-2 lead after Crutcher recorded three consecutive kills. Murray had two kills, followed by a block recorded with the help of Hrebenach which made the score 12-7. After capitalizing on two Rutgers errors late in the fifth set, the Terps were able to win the set by a final tally of 15-9, which gave them their second Big Ten victory.
Overall, many Terps had a great night which keyed them to this victory, but Maryland was powered by the effort of Crutcher, who led the team with 20 kills for the match. Fraik was also beneficial, tacking on 12 kills as well as 11 digs. In addition, Murray contributed 11 kills and five digs. The Terps were led in digs by junior Amy Dion.
After the game, head coach Steve Aird was happy about the win, but stressed the importance of the evolution of the program.
“I respect Rutgers and their fight,” Aird said. “They competed hard and made us work for each point. I’m happy for the win, but we need to work towards learning and improving to becoming an elite program”
With the victory, the Terps improve to 9-12 (2-8). Their next game is on Friday, October 31st against Iowa. Rutgers falls to 7-16 (0-10). The Knights will play against Nebraska on October 31st.
