Maryland was hoping to build on its winning streak during the Cavalier Classic after scoring two impressive wins against Mercer and East Carolina. The Terps have won their third straight game with a sweeping win over Virginia 3-1.
“We stayed strong, just stayed consistent, never back down and happy to get away against a rival,” head coach Adam Hughes said.
The teams traded points in the opening set and ended the set with 11 points each. Maryland followed an 11-5 scoring streak, fueled by two kills from Laila Ricks. Sydney Dowler and Anastasia Russ led a tough defense in the first set, which was 25-19. win, as the Terps held the Cavaliers to the -0.036 hit percentage.
Maryland Volleyball beat Virginia 3-0 to beat Cavalier Classic
Maryland was slow to start the second set but let Virginia take over advantage of 10-4 thanks to three kills by their outside hitter Gracie Turner.
Then Maryland advanced following a Virginia ball handling mistake, forcing the Cavaliers to call a timeout. The kills of Russ along with Laila Ricks concluded the game and put the Terps in the position of a sweep following the 25-20 win in the second set.
Maryland was looking to end the game with a strong final effort. They began to take off at the midpoint of the set. The teams were in a tie at 8. Dowler lifted a set for Laila Ivey on the left side of the court, which the rookie spiked. The two would then connect for the next shot.
“The group has done a good job of realizing it’s a team skill,” coach Hughes stated. “When it’s tough to take some of those out of system swings, you got to be brave.”
The Terps pushed their lead to three games behind Csire, who scored seven kills during the set. However, the Cavaliers made it even at 18 thanks to a powerful swing by the Virginian Brooklyn Borum, who tallied six kills.
The draw didn’t last very long as the Terps came back and launched a game-winning attack. Lexy Finnerty went on a four-serve run that also included an ace that pushed the Maryland lead to four.
The Terps closed the gap and tied the game at 17 after a Rainelle Jones kill and an error on a Cavalier service mistake.
Back-to-back kills by Csire and Dowler were the highlight of a great weekend for Maryland when the Terps won the third set 25-21.
Care was the top player for the team with 11 kills, 11. Dowler took advantage of the defensive aspect of the victory and shut down the opposition with eight blocks and seven digs. The Terps start Big Ten play Friday against No. 25 Illinois.