Match Stats
No. 19 Ohio State Buckeyes, known as the only team to take down top-ranking Nebraska this year, falls to Maryland who is fighting to keep their outside hops of an NCAA tournament berth alive with just a second conference victory.
Liz Twilley led the way for the Terps with 13 kills, also picking up a career-high seven digs and six blocks. Teammate Hailey Murray had a match-high eight blocks, while Kelsey Wicinski picked up 20 digs.
Despite big defensive numbers, Ohio State couldn’t forge past Maryland. Valeria Leon picked up a match-high 26 digs, Camry Halm added 16, while Taylor Sandbothe had seven blocks. Offensively, Sandbothe put down 23 kills, while Audra Appold added another 15.
Maryland came out strong, taking the first set, but faltering the next two to fall behind 1-2 in the match. The Terps fought back to take the fourth set and tie the match. Maryland held the advantage for the entire fifth set, taking the set and match 15-12.
The two team have a quick turnaround, facing off in a rematch in Columbus this Friday.
Press Release
Courtesy of Maryland Athletics
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Sophomore outside hitter Liz Twilley led the Terps with 13 kills and set new career highs in digs and blocks as the Maryland volleyball team upset No. 19 Ohio State in five sets on Wednesday evening. The Terrapins (10-13, 2-9 Big Ten) defeated the Buckeyes (14-9, 4-7) by set scores of 25-21, 22-25, 28-30, 25-19, 15-12.
“I am proud of my team,” head coach Steve Aird said. “They played hard and found a way to win. We have 48 hours to get ready to play Ohio State again, and I know they’ll be ready to go at home.”
Twilley hit at a .290 clip and posted seven digs and six blocks. Sophomore opposite Angel Gaskin notched 10 kills while senior middle blocker Ashlyn MacGregor, junior middle blocker Hailey Murray and freshman outside hitter Gia Milana each tallied nine kills.
Freshman setter Taylor Smith had a well-rounded outing, hitting seven kills on a .467 clip while dishing 48 assists, serving three aces and posting nine digs and four blocks.
Murray led the match with eight blocks while MacGregor tallied five.
This is the second win over a ranked Buckeye squad for the Terps. Maryland upset then-No. 12 Ohio State last season on Nov. 6, 2015.
Samantha Higginbothem started the Terps off in the match with a service ace and Smith served on to tie the set 4-4. Murray and Twilley combined for a block as the Terrapins led 11-9, and the home team held on to a 15-14 lead at the media timeout. Maryland continued to narrowly lead, and another Murray-Twilley block put the Terps up 22-19. The duo posted late kills, and a Buckeye attack error ended the set, 25-21.
The Buckeyes took an early 5-2 lead in the second set before the Terps used a 6-1 run to take an 8-6 lead. Maryland continued to push ahead with kills from MacGregor, Gaskin and Murray, and a Smith-Murray block forced an OSU timeout at 15-9. The Buckeyes fought back to tie the set, and the teams played closely for the remainder. Ohio State reached set point at 24-21, and Maryland was able to fight it with a Murray kill before the Buckeyes closed it, 25-22, and tied the match.
Both teams fought for the third set with 15 ties and seven lead changes. The Terps and Buckeyes stayed closely matched early before OSU pulled ahead to a 15-12 lead. Kills from Gaskin and Smith and another Higginbothem ace pulled Maryland within one, 16-15. Strong serving from Megan McTigue helped the Terps tie the set, 20-20, but the Buckeyes pulled ahead to set point, 24-22. Smith tied the set 24-24 with a kill, and a Milana kill put Maryland at set point, 26-25. The teams each reached set point once more, including a Terp set point off a Smith ace at 28-27. The Buckeyes were able to string together three points to take the set, 30-28.
The Terps used 6.5 total blocks in the fourth set to even the match. Twilley and MacGregor notched early kills before Maryland used four straight blocks to take a 9-3 lead. Murray and Smith notched kills as the Terrapins continued to push ahead, and a Twilley-Murray block gave Maryland a 21-14 lead. A Twilley kill put the Terps at set point, 24-18, and an OSU error finished the set in Maryland’s advantage, 25-19.
With the match on the line, the teams battled in the fifth set. Milana, Smith and MacGregor started the game out with a triple block and Milana added a kill to keep Maryland ahead 4-3. The teams stayed close but a Smith kill and Wicinski ace put the Terps ahead, 9-7. Maryland led the rest of the way, and a Gaskin-MacGregor block pushed the advantage to 13-11. Gaskin put the Terps at match point with a kill at 14-12, and Smith sealed the win with a solo block.
The Terps and Buckeyes will face off again on Friday in Columbus, Ohio, at 7 p.m.
Press Release
Courtesy of Ohio State Athletics
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Playing in its 16th match away from home of the season, including seven of 11 conference contests, the No. 19 Ohio State University women’s volleyball team came up just short in a five-set defeat at Maryland (25-21, 22-25, 28-30, 25-19, 15-12) which included 41 tied scores and 17 lead changes. The Buckeyes move to 14-9 overall and 4-7 in Big Ten play.
Seniors Taylor Sandbothe and Valeria León led the charge, combining for 33 digs. León dug up 26 balls while Sandbothe added in seven blocks to the OSU defensive effort. She excelled on the offensive side of the net as well, bouncing 23 kills at a .321 attacking clip on a career-high 56 attempts (seven digs tied a career best) Sandbothe’s seven stuffs inflated her career total to 508, just 10 shy of breaking the all-time school record (Dawn McDougall – 517 blocks; 1988-91). Speaking of school records, León added to her all-time mark for career digs. She is now up to 1,612 total digs since arriving at Ohio State in 2013. One of León’s apprentices, freshman defensive specialist Camry Halm did her best impersonation, setting a new career high with 16 digs.
SET 1: Ohio State went ahead 17-16 on a Sandbothe ace before a three-point run for the Terrapins lifted Maryland on top, 19-17, going on to take the 25-21 set.
SET 2: Taylor Hughes steered the offense back on track in set number two, dishing out 13 assists while the Buckeyes attacked .370 with 15 kills. Sandbothe terminated seven and Audra Appold finished off three of four errorless attempts. Add in three blocks (1s, 2a), and Sandbothe was directly responsible for nine points in the frame. Ohio State broke up a 21-all tie by snagging four of the final tallies and evening the match at one set apiece on a 25-22 winner.
SET 3: Sandbothe upped the ante to 10 points in the third, drilling eight kills to go along with a pair of block assists and a service ace. Appold kept it coming, too, connecting on four more kills. León was huge, racking up 10 digs as the set poured into extra time. Set-point opportunities were being denied left and right when Ohio State ultimately closed it out, 30-28, as Sandbothe painted the baseline on the set-clinching ace.
SET 4: A combined 16 attack errors littered the fourth, leading to sub-.100 hitting percentages on both sides. Thirteen different Buckeyes saw action looking for the right combo. Maryland threw up a half dozen blocks by set’s end, allowing the Terps to rise above 25-19 and force a fifth frame.
SET 5: Three more UMD rejections in the fifth proved pivotal in a 15-12 match-clincher. The 15th and final block of the night served as the ending nail, sealing the deal for the 15th point.
These same two squads get back it again Friday (Oct. 28) night with a rematch in Columbus at 7 p.m. ET.
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