Maryland succumbs to another straight-set loss to Indiana

The Terps are on their longest losing streak since 2020.

Knotted at three points apiece early in the second set, Maryland volleyball looked to avoid a two-set deficit and snap its seven-game losing streak against. But just like the Terps have done all season, they let up a big run.

Two kills from Indiana outside hitter Avry Tatum sparked a momentum-shifting spurt that proved costly in the set. The Hoosiers went on to score five of the next six points, catapulting out to an 8-4 lead that Maryland could not combat.

After finishing the toughest stretch of their schedule, the Terps hoped to use the match against Indiana as a turning point in their season. Instead, Maryland made errors at crucial junctures en route to a straight-set loss Saturday night in College Park.

“It was a really poor performance across the board,” head coach Adam Hughes said. “We didn’t have the group ready to play, and that was maybe the worst we played all season. I’ve got to go back up to the office and figure out what the next solution is.”

The Terps sprinted out to a 3-1 lead in the opening set after a tip shot from middle blocker Anastasia Russ, her second kill in the early stages. But Indiana responded right back with a big blow, scoring nine of the next 10 points. Tatum led the charge for the Hoosiers with three service aces and a kill.

Middle blocker Eva Rohrbach, the team’s leader in blocks, stopped the bleeding, as she teamed up with setter Sydney Dowler for a block, moving the score to 10-6. Indiana held strong, though, extending its lead to six points after two errors from Maryland.

Service woes continued for the Terps, as outside hitter Sam Csire hit one straight into the net, the fourth of 10 in the match. Three consecutive attacking errors from the Hoosiers looked to give the Terps a spark, but they were unable to capitalize. Ahead by two, Indiana scored three of the last four points, closing out the set, 25-21.

“I didn’t think we were aggressive,” Hughes said. “There’s a timid nature to matchups where we feel like, if we can play well, we’ve got opportunities to do good things for ourselves. We shot ourselves in the foot.”

Finding themselves down 8-4 in the second set, the Terps hoped that kills from Russ and pin hitter Samantha Schnitta would serve as fuel. Instead, just minutes later, Maryland found themselves down, 14-8, after a service ace from Hoosiers’ setter Camryn Haworth.

A kill and service ace from Rohrbach was quickly negated by another kill from Tatum, keeping Indiana’s lead intact.

Rohrbach and Russ kept Maryland within striking distance late in the set, but it was unable to garner momentum. Tatum gave Indiana set point with her match-leading 11th kill, before outside hitter Mady Saris finished it off, 25-22.

The third set started off identical to the previous one with the score knotted at three apiece. But back-to-back kills from Saris pushed the Hoosiers in front. A kill and service ace from Rohrbach helped the Terps storm back to level the score at seven. Just two points later, a Dowler service error sparked a three-point run for Indiana.

Once again, Maryland tied the set, this time at 13, after a kill from Schnitta. Haworth provided the Hoosiers with a spark later on with a kill and service ace, pushing her team in front, 18-16. But Haworth’s ensuing serve went straight into the net, followed up by a service ace from Csire.

For the first time all match, Maryland held a late lead in the set, 23-22, and looked destined to put some scoreboard pressure on Indiana. Instead, the Terps crumbled to pieces under the spotlight with two costly errors. A serve from Schnitta sailed long and Csire failed to get the ball over the net on a kill attempt, losing 25-23 in the final set.

“It’s been the nature of what we were, very error prone,” Hughes said. “We had three goals, and we were 0 for 3 on all of the execution. … We felt like we had a really good game plan going in, and it didn’t work.”

Three things to know

1. Maryland was out-killed once again. The Terps have struggled all season long with kills, and lost that battle again Saturday nigh, 39-30. Maryland hit just a mere 11.6% in the match, one of its lowest outputs of the season.

2. Longest losing streak since 2020. After falling in their eighth consecutive game, the Terps moved to 1-11 in Big Ten play. This matches their worst start to conference play in over a decade. Maryland will be looking to get back in the win column on Thursday against Michigan State.

3. Late-set collapses. The Terps had chances to pull out all three sets in Saturday’s match. Maryland found itself down two late in the first two sets and up 23-22 in the third set, but it was unable to close any of them out. Two errors in the latter stages of the last set proved pivotal and demonstrated a common theme throughout the season.

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