Maryland volleyball swept by Michigan State

After dropping the first two sets of the match, Maryland put up a fight in the third set, but it just was not enough to take down Michigan State.

The Spartans capitalized on a season low .087 hitting percentage by the Terrapins and errors throughout the match en route to a 3-0 sweep.

Michigan State utilized an early 7-1 lead to help take set one by a score of 25-17. Maryland managed to hit just .053 percent and had nine attacking errors while the Spartans hit .324 percent and got away with two service errors in the opening set.

Maryland came out in the second set and gave two early service errors to Michigan State, which quickly became an 8-2 lead for the Spartans. A 5-1 run by the Terrapins brought the score to 9-7, but then a steady attack by the Spartans gave them a 25-18 set victory.

Maryland head coach Adam Hughes took two separate timeouts during the set to try and regain momentum, but despite the Terps tallying eight kills and five blocks, Michigan State was able to capitalize on four service errors to coast to a win in set two.

The third set offered multiple chances for Maryland to answer Michigan State’s early dominance, but the Spartans fought through the pressure, earning a 25-19 victory. The Terps fought hard and stayed within four points for the majority of the final set, but struggled to get over the hump. The Spartans were able to take nine of the final 13 points, with an Erika Pritchard service error ending the match.

Maryland will return to action at home next weekend, hosting the Michigan Wolverines on Friday and Michigan State on Saturday.

Three things to know

1. This was a domination from the start. Maryland couldn’t get up and running against Michigan State at the beginning of the first two sets and struggled to maintain its lead in the third set. The Spartans were able to capitalize off of 23 attacking errors and seven service errors by the Terrapins to bounce back and push forward en route to the victory.
2. The Terrapins are off to a bad start in Big Ten play. For the first time since 2016, Maryland starts its conference slate with two losses, falling to Ohio State earlier this week. The Terrapins went 12-20 that season, only winning four Big Ten matches. This is definitely not the start Hughes was hoping for as his team aims to make the NCAA Tournament after coming up short in each of the last two seasons.
3. A rematch is coming soon. Whether that will be a good thing remains to be seen, but the Spartans will be in College Park next Saturday. That match will be preceded by a home matchup on Friday against a Michigan team that has received votes in the AVCA Coaches Poll. Head Coach Adam Hughes will have six days to rally his squad before a big weekend where the Terps will be looking for their first Big Ten win of the season.