Volleyball ends season with surprising loss to Boston College

The last thing the Terrapin volleyball team wanted to do Wednesday was end its season on a three-match losing streak.

The last thing anyone thought was that it might actually become a reality.

But after a 3-1 loss at Boston College — a team that was previously winless in conference play — the Terps added to a losing streak started by defeats to Florida State and Miami the previous weekend and ended their regular season on a decidedly down note.

"There's no excuse for how we played against Boston College," coach Tim Horsmon said. "They played really hard and wanted to win more than we did. We took too long to figure that out and start playing at a higher level. Our team has to learn to deal with playing every weekend, playing hard every weekend and being more consistent."

What was most disheartening about the Terps' (19-13, 10-10 ACC) defeat is the team they lost to. The Eagles (9-24, 1-19) have been the ACC's worst team all season, and their win Wednesday was their first in 20 conference matches.

The Terps have struggled to play consistent volleyball all season, and their match with the Eagles was no different. The Terps defeated the Eagles earlier in the season, but Horsmon said the same inconsistencies that have plagued them all year again doomed the Terps on Wednesday.

"We've showed that we were the better program throughout the year, but they were the better team that day," Horsmon said. "If we're going to be a good program, we're going to have to learn to play hard every match and beat the teams that we're supposed to."

The two bright spots for the Terps this weekend were outside hitters Mary Cushman and Kara Bates, who finished with 12 kills each. Middle Brittney Grove and libero Bethany Springer finished with a combined six kills and 26 digs in their final match for the Terps.

After finishing with just a combined 20 wins in Horsmon's first two seasons in College Park, the Terps' 19 wins marked a significant improvement for the Terps. But a late-season slide and missed opportunities will leave the Terps with a sour taste this offseason.

"We obviously made a lot of strides this past year, and we're a very different team than we were a year ago," Horsmon said. "Our season is over, and all we can do is learn from it. Next year, when we're put in a similar situation, we have to handle it differently. We have to mature, learn from this, get better and make sure it doesn't happen again."

vitale@umdbk.com