Senior outside hitter Adria Powell (16) hits the ball over the net during the Ohio State-Nebraska match Sunday. Ohio State won 3-1. Credit: Katie Good | Asst. Photo Editor
Maryland junior outside hitter Sam Csire, a native of Strongsville, Ohio, collected 22 kills en route to ending the No. 5 Ohio State women’s volleyball team’s 14-match winning streak in four sets Friday at Center Pavilion.
The Buckeyes (19-6, 15-2 Big Ten) took a 3-0 lead right out of the gate and didn’t look back. Maryland (15-14, 6-11 Big Ten) was down 18-11 before taking its second timeout after Ohio State took further control, winning the set 25-16 on a five-point run.
Ohio State’s defense held Maryland to a .132 hitting percentage in the first set while collecting 18 kills offensively. Senior outside hitter Gabby Gonzales led the Buckeyes offensively with 15 kills on 40 attempts.
The Terrapins bounced back in the second set, taking the first point, and after scraping back and forth held a 15-14 lead. The Buckeyes’ hitters ran into a Maryland defense holding them to just one point the rest of the set, winning 25-15.
The Terrapins had six blocks in the set and held the Buckeyes to a .059 hitting percentage. Maryland redshirt junior middle blocker Anastasia Russ and graduate middle blocker Rainelle Jones combined for 10 solo blocks in the match.
The Buckeyes were quickly down 5-1 in the third set and found themselves down 16-11 before calling their first timeout. Ohio State went on a four-point run bringing the score close to 19-17, but the Terrapins returned a four-point run of their own to win 25-18, taking a 2-1 set advantage.
Ohio State had 15 errors between the second and third sets, whereas Maryland’s offense had just 13 errors in the match.
The Buckeyes opened the scoring in the fourth set but were quickly down 7-1. Ohio State came within one point at 10-9, but the Terrapins responded with a five-point run and kept the Buckeye attack at bay, taking the set 25-18 and the match 3-1.
Career highlight
Senior defensive specialist Kylie Murr took sole possession of first place on Ohio State’s all-time digs list with her 12th dig of the night. She finished with 35, giving her 1,819 for her career.
Up next
The Buckeyes look to get back in the win column on Sunday at the Covelli Center against Indiana. The match will begin at 1 p.m. and broadcast on BTN+.
