BALTIMORE — Maryland (2-2) narrowly defeated William & Mary (3-2) in a tightly contested match on Saturday afternoon at the Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena, winning 3-1 with scores of 25-20, 24-26, 27-25, and 26-24 on the final day of the UMBC Tournament.
The first set began with William & Mary taking an early lead thanks to a kill by
Beatriz Silva, assisted by
Avery Horejsi. The teams exchanged points closely thereafter, highlighted by
Katherine Arnason's three kills, which helped keep the Green and Gold competitive. Midway through the set, Horejsi contributed with a key kill and an assist, bringing the team back into a tie at 18-18. Despite a late surge from W&M, Maryland ultimately capitalized on several errors to close out the set 25-20.
The second set opened with W&M making strategic substitutions that set the stage for a back-and-forth battle against Maryland. Arnason was instrumental, contributing multiple key points, including a crucial kill from
Shylah Swope at 24-24, which helped swing the momentum. Despite a tight contest, the Tribe capitalized on Maryland's errors and a timely block by
Ryann Love and
Nicole Smith to maintain pressure, ultimately securing the set with a 26-24 victory.
The third set was a tightly contested battle, opening with Maryland taking a slight edge at 1-0 after an attack error by
Audrey Brcka. The Tribe responded with strong performances from
Devereaux Hoxsie, who recorded two early kills, and Brcka, who added consecutive kills to give the visitors a 4-2 lead. Arnason and Love combined for a crucial block at 12-13, and Silva's late kill tied the score at 25. Despite a valiant effort, including a kill from Hoxsie to briefly regain the lead at 23-22, Maryland closed out the set 27-25 with decisive points from Haley Melby and Ajack Malual.
W&M began the fourth set with a strong showing, quickly leveling the score at 5-5 due to a series of errors by Maryland, including consecutive attack errors by Melby. Hoxsie and Arnason led the offensive charge, each securing crucial kills that pushed the Green and Gold to a 16-11 advantage, exploiting Maryland's defensive lapses. Despite a late surge from Maryland, who managed to even the score at 23-23, Arnason's consistent play kept W&M in contention. However, Maryland ultimately edged out a 26-24 victory after an attack error by Arnason, concluding the tense set.
GAME NUGGETS
