By Anika Stikeleather

Maryland volleyball remains winless in conference play after a five-set loss against Penn State on Sunday afternoon at the Xfinity Center maincourt. 

Ajack Malual shone despite the loss and finished the match with 20 kills, 4 blocks and an ace while hitting .271. Malual matched the right side play of Penn State powerhouse Kennedy Martin, the nation’s leader in points per set last season. 

Martin finished the game hitting .326 with 21 kills and 4 aces. 

“You just kinda feel like this match might come into a right side right side battle,” Audrey Flaugh, color analyst for the Big Ten Network, said. “Malual is just really holding her own. Asking for sets no matter where she is.” 

Despite a rocky first set, in which the Terrapins hit .000, they were able to turn things around and force errors, outhitting Penn State in sets two, three, and four.

An early six-point advantage in set two forced Maryland to call a timeout. 

Afterwards, Adam Hughes’ team responded with four straight points, including two momentum kills by junior middle blocker Eva Rohrbach. 

At this point, Malual began to heat up, recording five kills and just one error the rest of the period.

Late in the second set, after a fierce swing by Martin against a single blocker resulted in a kill, Martin appeared to stare down Malual through the net. 

In set three, Maryland jumped out to an early 10-4 lead, powered by strong defensive play and aggressive serving. Malual’s veteran presence was evident, and Hughes’ team’s confidence was clear.

Freshman setter Lilly Wagner’s help led her team to a .265 hitting percentage in this set. Wagner’s connection with Malual and junior Sydney Bryant’s contributions helped balance the offense.

“Once we got going and the crowd got into it, it made a huge difference,” Hughes said after the game. 

An inspired Maryland team secured a 25-19 victory in set three. 

An early 8-1 run by Maryland in set four was the ultimate difference as Penn State struggled to find any rhythm, and a Maryland squad backed by the second-largest home crowd in program history capitalized. The run included two aces against Penn State and five attacking errors.

“I thought our passing broke down. Maryland was serving much more aggressive,” Penn State coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley said when asked about her team’s fourth set performance during the post-match broadcast.

Frustration built for the Nittany Lions as Maryland libero Ally Williams played feisty defense throughout the fourth set en route to 15 digs against a tough conference opponent, tying Penn State’s Ava Falduto for a match high. 

Despite Penn State making it a back-and-forth contest later, Maryland won the fourth set 25-23. 

In the fifth set, Maryland struggled to find any offense, hitting -.100 and losing 5-15. Malual was the only Maryland player to record a kill. 

Simultaneously, Penn State found the offense, outside of Martin, that it had been looking for. Middle blocker Maggie Mendelson and outside Alexis Ewing supplied two kills each to help seal the game.

Featured Image: Fans entering Xfinity Center on Sunday, Oct. 5. Photo by Anika Stikeleather