In the third and final set of today’s matchup against Boston College, the Terrapin volleyball team trailed 20-17. The Eagles were on a roll, and the Terps looked disorganized and flustered. Coach Tim Horsmon knew he needed to calm his team down, so he called a timeout.
Immediately following the one minute pause from game action, the Terps went on a six-point run to go ahead 23-20. Led by Kara Bates, who was responsible for three of those six points, the team went on to win the set 25-22 and the match 3-0.
Bates was a force to be reckoned with today, as she recorded 16 kills and two blocks en route to a .433 hitting percentage. Following her lead, Remy McBain had nine kills and one block, while Lisa Scott recorded four kills and six blocks.
For the Terps (14-19, 6-14 ACC), this match marks the end of their 2009 season. It was also the last match for the senior class of Hayley Hanson (one kill, one service ace), Christina Paul (two assists, seven digs) and Katie Usher (five kills, two blocks).
The Terps, who won by the scores of 25-21, 25-21 and 25-22, were dominant for most of the match. Boston College (12-19, 2-18 ACC), which only has conference wins over cellar-dweller N.C. State, did not pose a real threat until the third set. But, the Terps were able to stop that threat thanks to Horsmon’s timeout and the team’s ensuing six-point run.
Early in the match, the Terps showed they were the better team by owning the area around the net. They held Boston College’s bigs in check, as the Eagles were only able to record a hitting percentage of .029 and .071 in the first and second set, respectively.
With the win, the Terps have now won three out of their last five, including a victory over defending ACC champion North Carolina. The team has shown progress towards the end of the season and will be looking to build on that for what could be a successful 2010 campaign.
Look for more on that next week, when a season recap will appear in The Diamondback.
Jakob Engelke is The Diamondback’s volleyball beat reporter. He can be reached at jengelke@umdbk.com. You can follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/Jakob_Engelke.