Ohio State
14-9, 4-7B1G
Maryland
10-13, 2-9B1G
Ohio State Falls in Fifth Set On the Road at Maryland
10/26/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 26, 2016
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COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Playing in its 16th match away from home of the season, including seven of 11 conference contests, the No. 19 Ohio State University women’s volleyball team came up just short in a five-set defeat at Maryland (25-21, 22-25, 28-30, 25-19, 15-12) which included 41 tied scores and 17 lead changes. The Buckeyes move to 14-9 overall and 4-7 in Big Ten play.
Seniors Taylor Sandbothe and Valeria León led the charge, combining for 33 digs. León dug up 26 balls while Sandbothe added in seven blocks to the OSU defensive effort. She excelled on the offensive side of the net as well, bouncing 23 kills at a .321 attacking clip on a career-high 56 attempts (seven digs tied a career best) Sandbothe’s seven stuffs inflated her career total to 508, just 10 shy of breaking the all-time school record (Dawn McDougall – 517 blocks; 1988-91). Speaking of school records, León added to her all-time mark for career digs. She is now up to 1,612 total digs since arriving at Ohio State in 2013. One of León’s apprentices, freshman defensive specialist Camry Halm did her best impersonation, setting a new career high with 16 digs.
SET 1: Ohio State went ahead 17-16 on a Sandbothe ace before a three-point run for the Terrapins lifted Maryland on top, 19-17, going on to take the 25-21 set.
SET 2: Taylor Hughes steered the offense back on track in set number two, dishing out 13 assists while the Buckeyes attacked .370 with 15 kills. Sandbothe terminated seven and Audra Appold finished off three of four errorless attempts. Add in three blocks (1s, 2a), and Sandbothe was directly responsible for nine points in the frame. Ohio State broke up a 21-all tie by snagging four of the final tallies and evening the match at one set apiece on a 25-22 winner.
SET 3: Sandbothe upped the ante to 10 points in the third, drilling eight kills to go along with a pair of block assists and a service ace. Appold kept it coming, too, connecting on four more kills. León was huge, racking up 10 digs as the set poured into extra time. Set-point opportunities were being denied left and right when Ohio State ultimately closed it out, 30-28, as Sandbothe painted the baseline on the set-clinching ace.
SET 4: A combined 16 attack errors littered the fourth, leading to sub-.100 hitting percentages on both sides. Thirteen different Buckeyes saw action looking for the right combo. Maryland threw up a half dozen blocks by set’s end, allowing the Terps to rise above 25-19 and force a fifth frame.
SET 5: Three more UMD rejections in the fifth proved pivotal in a 15-12 match-clincher. The 15th and final block of the night served as the ending nail, sealing the deal for the 15th point.
These same two squads get back it again Friday (Oct. 28) night with a rematch in Columbus at 7 p.m. ET.
