By: Nolan DeMott
On Sunday afternoon, the University of Maryland Terrapins were defeated by #24 Illinois in a five set thriller (25-18, 22-25, 30-28, 23-25, 16-14). This was their fourth game vs. Big 10 opponents this season—they are now 0-4—but their first in front of the home crowd. In fact, the Terps had not played a home game since late August. In a post-game interview, freshman Gia Milana commented on that excitement of being back home.
“We had been playing away for the last couple of matches, so it was really nice to get back in our home atmosphere, get in the groove and work hard as a team,” said Milana.
The Terps came out of the gate strong to start the match, opening the first set on a 10-5 run. But after that, Illinois dominated, finishing the set on a 20-8 run. Gia Milana had a difficult time getting going early with only two kills in the first with two errors. Milana did pick it up as the game went along, finishing with 16 kills. It was her most efficient game (in terms of scoring) vs. Big 10 competition, which Coach Aird pointed out as a positive sign that reflects Milana’s growth.
“It was just the most mature match she’s played…She did a great job of managing the game,” said Aird. “She’s going to be a great player in this league for a very long time, but you can’t just roll out of high school and start dominating.”
Maryland as a team, probably played their best set in the second, where they accumulated 15 kills on 30 total attempts with only four errors. They also converted on 59% of their side-out chances, a stellar mark relative to most of their sets vs. the Big 10 teams.
This was the Terps’ third match against a ranked opponent in the last four, but unlike the other two, the Terps had a bevy of opportunities to come out on top. In the third set, for example, the Terrapins had a total of five set points including one side-out opportunity at 24-23. Coach Steve Aird actually called a timeout to try to focus his team for the point, but it proved futile in the end as Maryland lost the set 30-28. Gia Milana did comment, however, on the team’s ability to bounce back after that tough set.
“We couldn’t dwell too much on the fact that we lost that set,” said Milana. “I feel like it was an opportunity, and we missed it. We just had to come back and fight to take the next one.”
The Terps’ ability to quickly put that set behind them and win the fourth to force the fifth set was certainly impressive. They had a clear opportunity to come out victorious with a match point at 14-13. Unfortunately, the Terps lost the next three points to lose the final set in heartbreaking fashion. It was certainly a disappointing match for a Terrapins team that, in Coach Aird’s words, “outplayed [Illinois] for most of the match.” Yet Aird also explained how he has a common message for his team after games like these.
“You can celebrate for 30 minutes or pout for 30 minutes, but after that, you have to be done,” said Aird.
This is the kind of mentality that will keep this young team moving in the right direction. After all, considering that the Terps had previously lost 12 straight sets, this was a good step forward. Maryland will have to keep this kind of positive thinking in mind when they take on Michigan in Ann Arbor this Friday.
