Maryland volleyball upsets No. 15 Michigan in straight sets in Ann Arbor

Coming off a quick straight-set loss at home to No. 4 Illinois, Maryland volleyball came back strong, upsetting No. 15 Michigan (19-7, 8-7 Big Ten) in Ann Arbor in straight sets: 25-20, 30-28, 25-19.

This was Maryland’s first win against a ranked opponent this season and its first-ever conference victory against Michigan. The Terps hadn’t taken more than one set against the Wolverines before Wednesday night.

The Terps (16-11, 7-8 Big Ten) didn’t have a spectacular night offensively, hitting .196, but they capitalized on 28 Michigan attack errors and five service errors. The Wolverines hit .066 in the match, but they were able to keep it close from Maryland’s 18 attack errors and 11 service errors. Maryland doubled Michigan’s block total with 13.5.

Erika Pritchard led the Terps with 16 kills, Liz Twilley following with 11 and Katie Myers adding eight. Pritchard recorded another double-double with 11 digs, but Allegra Rivas led the team with 24. Nicole Alford led Maryland with 37 assists.

Maryland held Wolverines star Carly Skjodt in check, as she hit .162 with 10 kills. Paige Jones was second in kills for Michigan, but had 11 attack errors, hitting -.054 in the match. Michigan had a negative hitting percentage in sets two and three, with 23 kills and 25 attack errors combined.

The Terps came out hot in set one, taking an early lead and holding firm to take the opening set. Maryland took an early 4-2 lead, increasing that to 9-5. Michigan closed the lead down to 10-9 before the Terps went on a 6-2 run to take a 16-11 lead. They led 18-12 and 20-14. The Wolverines once again went on a 5-1 run to close the gap to 21-19, but Maryland closed out the set on a 4-1 run, winning 25-20. Maryland was clinical on offense, hitting .351 with 17 kills and four attack errors while Michigan hit .294 with 13 kills and three attack errors.

In set two, The Terps blew a late lead and needed several extra points to win the frame. Maryland began the set with a 4-1 lead, extending that to 9-5. Michigan cut the lead to 10-8, but the Terps re-extended it to 13-9 and 17-12 and had a 22-17 lead late. Then Michigan went on a 9-2 run to take a 25-24 lead with a set point. However, Maryland fought back and finished the set on a 6-3 run to win, 30-28. Maryland capitalized off 15 Michigan errors, as the Wolverines hit -.019. The Terps weren’t much better, hitting .085 with 13 kills and nine attack errors.

Set three was back-and-forth for the majority of the frame until Maryland went on a late run to win the set and match. Maryland got out to another early lead at 6-4, but Michigan tied it up at 6-6. The two teams then exchanged the next eight points, tying at 10-10. Maryland used two 3-0 runs to take a 17-13 lead, but Michigan went on a 4-0 lead to tie the set up at 17-17 and then 18-18. However, Maryland went on a 7-1 run to win the set, 25-19, and the match in a sweep. Maryland was better offensively in set three, hitting .179 with 10 kills and five attack errors, but Michigan worsened, hitting -.029 with nine kills and 10 attack errors.

Maryland will continue its road swing at Ohio State on Saturday night at 7 p.m. ET on BTN Plus. The Terps will return to College Park next Friday against Minnesota.