Nov. 20, 2005
Senior middle blocker Stephanie Smith recorded 18 kills and eight blocks to lead the Maryland Terrapins to a 3-1 (27-30, 30-28, 30-19, 30-20) win over visiting Georgia Tech on Sunday. With the defeat, the Yellow Jackets fall to 15-14, 11-9 ACC while the Terrrapins improve to 26-3, 17-3 ACC.
The Yellow Jackets were led by Talisa Kellogg who recorded 14 kills, seven kills and two blocks in the match. She was followed by Laura DeMichelis who posted 15 kills and two blocks and Ulrike Stegemann who notched 10 kills and five digs.
Also leading the Jackets defensively were Jennifer Randall, who posted a match-high 21 digs, followed by Abby Showers who netted a career-best 17 digs and Lindsey Laband who added 12 digs.
The Jackets started the first game off on fire and built a 4-1 lead with kills from Miller and Kellogg and two Terrapin errors. The Terrapins fought back and tied the score at 5-5 with a kill from Gillming but then the Jackets took a 13-8 lead with kills DeMichelis and Miller. The Terrapins tied the score at 15-15 and then took a 21-18 lead after a kill by Smith but a kill from DeMichelis, a Terrapin setting error and a solo block by Miller tied the game at 21-21. The Jackets then built a 27-23 lead after a kill from Miller but two kills from Wagener and a hitting error by Kellogg made the game 27-26. After a timeout by the Yellow Jackets, Schmelzle recorded one of three service errors for the Terrpains but a kill from Kellogg down the line and a stuff block from Stegemann and Kaminskas gave the Jackets the game, 30-27.
In game two, the Jackets led early 6-2 after a service ace from Randall, but the Terrapins tied the score at 7-7 after a kill from Smith. The game then went back and forth with three ties until Tech built a 18-13 lead following two Terrapin hitting errors and a kill out of the backrow by Gray. Maryland chipped away at the deficit and two straight kills by Schmelzle tied the score at 21-21. After a hitting error by Gillming gave Tech the lead, 26-25, Gillming came right back with a kill on the right side tying the score at 26-26. Maryland then took a 27-26 lead after a kill from Mary Beth Brown, but the Jackets tied it at 27-27 after a kill from DeMichelis. A service error by Kaminskas gave the Terrapins a 28-27 lead but then the Tech tied it up at 28-28 with a kill from Stegemann. After the Terrapins sidedout with a setter dump that just barely cleared the net, a hitting error by DeMichelis gave Maryland the game, 30-28.
Tech was never in game three, falling behind by as many as eight points at 11-19. After a kill DeMichelis made the score 12-19, the Jackets could only manage to pull within six points the rest of the way. With the score 17-23, DeMichelis recorded a hitting errors, following by a reception error by Randall and a kill from Jade Brown and an overpass by Kellogg added with a ballhanding error by Stegemann, Tech was down 17-28. Maryland would win the final point of the game, 30-19, on a kill from Smith.
Maryland carried its momentum into game four as Tech’s passing off serve reception began to struggle and the Jackets were never able to get into an offense. The Terrapins led by as many as 11 at 23-12 and went on to win the game, 30-20.
The Yellow Jackets will return to action Friday when they travel to take on Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va. at 3 p.m.
