Volleyball's slump continues with pair of losses

The Terrapins volleyball team came into the weekend determined to reverse its streak of bad play and inconsistencies against a second-rate Wake Forest team and last season's conference champion, Duke.

But things only went from bad to worse.

The Terps were swept by Wake Forest and dropped three straight sets after taking the first against Duke. The Terps now have a five-match losing streak and have won just three matches in their last 11. They are now also 2-9 away from College Park.

"We're probably, as a group, disappointed in the weekend," coach Tim Horsmon said. "We've been working hard in a lot of ways, but not overcoming adversity."

Wake Forest (5-13, 2-7 ACC), which had just one ACC win coming into its matchup with the Terps, faced little problems in the first set. The Demon Deacons captured an early lead and eventually had a lead of 17-10 before outside hitter Carlisle Abele, who had a total of nine kills and two blocks in the match, put up consecutive kills and a block assist. That was perhaps the most life the Terps could muster in the set, as they fell soon afterward, 25-18.

The Terps (9-12, 3-6) had a chance to knot the match in the second set, but failed to capitalize. Trailing 14-11, the Terps went on a 6-1 run to take the lead and grab the momentum. But the Demon Deacons came right back and got a set point at 24-22. The Terps tied it and survived three more set points before finally falling, 28-26.

The final set was also nip and tuck until Wake Forest jumped out from a 18-18 tie to a 25-20 set win and a match sweep.

The Terps' match against Duke (12-6, 6-3) in Cameron Indoor Stadium, to their credit, at least started out differently. After enduring 11 ties and lead changes, the Terps finished off the Blue Devils in the first set, 25-20, thanks in large part to middle blocker Caitlin Adams. The junior contributed seven kills in the set and had a season-high 57.1 hitting percentage in the match.

Both the second and third sets seemed ready to follow the same course. Duke raced to an 8-3 lead in the second set before the Terps went on a 7-1 run to take charge of the set. But the Terps lost their 23-20 lead when the Blue Devils went on a crucial 5-0 run to tie the match. In the third set, the Terps recovered after a poor start to the set to come within one point at 12-11. But Duke used a 4-1 run to get out in front for good, winning the crucial third set.

Although the Terps hung tough early in the fourth set, the Blue Devils separated themselves with a 6-0 run to eventually win the set, 25-16, and the match, 3-1.

"We should have put them away in the second set, and that changes how you play the rest of the match," Horsmon said. "And that seems to be the theme of our year — how we can't close it out. We need to be able to close teams out and finish points, and we need to get there a little quicker."

With a disastrous road trip behind them, the Terps will look to get on the right track at home. The Terps return to Comcast Pavilion this weekend to play Florida State and Miami, both of whom rank among the top three teams in the ACC.

"We are currently working through some bumps in the road," outside hitter Mary Cushman said, "but we are looking forward to making some changes this week in practice and to begin making strides forward."

munson@umdbk.com