Arizona comes from behind in Maryland volleyball’s third loss of season, 3-2

After suffocating the Maryland assault to the tune of seven blocks, Arizona’s Zyonna Fellows issued one closing blow to the Terps within the fifth set of a heavyweight battle.

Fellows’ twelfth kill of the afternoon was the exclamation level of the Wildcats’ comeback victory, as Maryland volleyball fell to Arizona of their closing match of the Aztec Traditional, 3-2.

The opening set was the antithesis of every workforce’s bread and butter, as the 2 defensive stalwarts have been picked aside by the opposite’s assault. The Terps and Wildcats racked up 14 and 15 kills, respectively.

Fellows pushed the tempo offensively for the Wildcats, torching the Terps with 4 kills within the opening set. The surface hitting duo of Laila Ivey and Sam Csire every matched Fellows’ output to buoy the Maryland offense.

Either side felt one another out till consecutive aces by Ana Heath gave the Wildcats an 11-8 cushion as they regarded to tug away.

However Arizona’s touted protection couldn’t sluggish the Terps, who used a gradual dose of putaways from Ivey and Laila Ricks to remain within the Wildcats’ rear-view mirror till Sam Csire’s second putaway of the body pulled the Terps even at 21.

The Maryland offense wilted down the stretch, nevertheless, solely mustering another kill as late putaways by Fellows and Jaelyn Hodge put the Terps on the fallacious finish of the primary set for the third Saturday in a row.

Fellows continued to terrorize Maryland within the second set with 4 extra kills to assist Arizona mount a 12-7 lead earlier than the Terps’ protection started to clamp down.

[Maryland volleyball cruises to victories over San Diego State, Sacramento State]

Maryland’s first block of set two got here when Ricks and Anastasia Russ teamed as much as wall a Jaelyn Hodge assault, bringing the Terps to inside one.

Then, after a quiet one-block efficiency within the opening set, Rainelle Jones stepped as much as deny consecutive Wildcat assaults as Maryland sprung in entrance for the primary time within the body, 16-15.

Arizona clawed again with a kill and an ace by Puk Stubbe to regain the lead, however their formidable protection had no reply for Csire, who propelled Maryland to a 25-22 win within the second set with a bevy of late putaways.

For the third time in as many matches, the Terps took the ground in set three trying to steal an important swing set.

Csire continued her torrid tempo, chipping in two extra kills and a block help as Maryland and Arizona battled within the early levels.

Either side went step-for-step with the opposite, as neither workforce may achieve a two-point edge till Hodge’s sixth kill of the match triggered a 5-0 Arizona stretch. Nonetheless, Adam Hughes’ ensuing timeout halted the Wildcats’ momentum for good.

The Terps grabbed the primary two factors out of the timeout, taming the Wildcats’ surge till Jones delivered her greatest set of the weekend.

She first responded to an Alayna Johnson putaway with a kill of her personal, trimming the Arizona result in two.

On the next level, the nation’s main blocker stepped in to stymie a Stubbe spike as Maryland continued to shut in.

Jones then pulverized a Sydney Dowler feed following a Laila Ricks ace to offer Maryland a lead it wouldn’t relinquish within the set.

[Matchups with premier defenses offers chance to build Maryland volleyball’s resume]

The graduate center blocker’s third kill of the body capped a significant 7-0 Maryland push that propelled the Terps to a 25-19 set three victory and a 2-1 lead.

Searching for their first undefeated event of the season, Maryland dashed to a 5-0 lead in set 4 behind Dowler’s fourth ace of the day and a Russ solo block.

It appeared the Terps have been primed to waltz to a victory, however the Wildcats’ vaunted protection imposed its will when it mattered most. They stymied Maryland’s assault to the tune of six blocks and a suffocating .000 hitting proportion within the fourth set.

Three block assists from Fellows shrunk the Terps’ result in two, and Csire’s sixteenth kill of the match did little to quell Arizona’s sudden surge, because the Wildcats ripped off their very own 5-0 run to snag a two-point lead.

Maryland battled again to even issues at 12, however Arizona’s protection was removed from completed, because the Wildcats wanted just one offensive level of their ensuing 7-0 run that in the end buried the Terps, pushing them to a decisive fifth set for the second Saturday in a row.

The ultimate set rapidly morphed into the sequel to final week’s fifth-set flop, because the Wildcats sprinted to a 5-2 lead behind three Hodge putaways.

Not like final week, nevertheless, the Terps displayed some struggle, as Russ’ second solo block and ninth kill of the day introduced Maryland to inside one.

Nonetheless, the Wildcat protection proved to be an excessive amount of. Fellows poured in two extra block assists because the Wildcats ran away with a 15-11 victory within the closing set.