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By David F.P.

COLLEGE PARK, MD- The North Carolina State Wolfpack arrived in College Park to take on the Maryland Terrapins on Friday night. NC State took set 1 but Maryland took set 2 25-19, set 3 25-13, and set 4 25-15 to take the match 3 to 1.

Editor’s Note: As always these reports are very offensive focused, this is not meant to take away from the defensive efforts and the cooperative efforts that each player is making, as they are all critical to a team’s success. It’s just a matter of what can be followed and relayed. Many defensive plays and key assists can be missed in the heat of the play.

In Set 2, highlights for the Terps included Michelle Kenning’s kill to open up the set, Kara Bates had a big kill, Bates later had a service ace, and a second immediately after, and Lisa Scott added a block to lead to an 8 to 2 lead and an NC State time out, later Remy McBain had a key defensive save and later Kenning and Scott won the point with a block, later Bethany Springer had a good dig though the point did not go their way, with NC State on the rise, Mary Cushman’s spike popped off the blockers and in, Bates crushed an attack in to keep the lead at 4, Scott struck again during a round of point trading, Bates thundered a spike in, a defensive save by Taylor Jones did keep things going enough for a point to result, Bates smashed a ball through the blockers late to give them 21 points, Bates had a big time spike to keep the lead at 3, and Cushman and Scott shared a block, an NC State attack error, and another kill from Bates took the set.

For the Wolfpack Margaret Salata had their first point of the set, Kelly Wood had a good save which eventually resulted in a point for the visitors, Salata added a running smash, she had a blast soon afterward during a brief Wolfpack comeback to erase the big deficit, Luciana Shafer added a kill as well that the Terps were unable to return, Shafer’s missile brought her team another point, Shafer added a kill just in bounds, and NC State picked up another point right afterward, Shafer had a diving save to keep a play alive though a point did not result, later Salata received a set and positively nailed it over the net, later she would strike again late in the set, Shafer added a jumping smash for the team’s 17^th point, later Salata’s service ace cut the lead to 2,

In Set 3, Maryland started to roll, Cushman opened the scoring with a whap off the blockers and out of bounds, later Brittney Grove crushed an attack over, Cushman’s whap started to build the lead, later a hurricaned shot from Scott and a block from her put a 5 set lead up, Kenning’s kill landed just in play, and Taylor Jones followed it with a service ace, she also had a good save on the next play, and Cushman added a kill, when another kill landed in, the Terps had a 7 point lead, Grove later received a set and nailed it over, Scott then tapped the ball off the blockers, and Jones had a fake set she misdirected in as an attack, and Bates had a massive kill for a 20 to 10 lead, Bates tapped to a gap to put the Terps within 1, when a stray NC State pass headed over the net, Scott ended the set with a slammed ball in.

For the visitors, Shafer got them on the board early on, and they did keep pace a bit early on including Smith’s smash through the line of Terp blockers, Megan Cyr hit it over to cut the lead, to start a a mini run, Meredith Richardson received a set from a teammate and hammed it home, Anna Moore had an attack in late, and Wood added a service ace.

In set 4, Maryland also won by big thanks to highlights including Grove knocking a ball over and in, Bates unleashed a missile down the line, Cushman had a service ace, and following a diving save by Bethany Springer they picked up their sixth point, Bates had an attack which popped off the blockers and out of play, Kenning kept the Terps lead sending a lead off the blockers, followed up by a Cushman blast, and Jones pulled off another fake set misdirection, with the lead growing, Springer sent a serve just in place for an Ace, and later Grove served up an Ace as well, Scott made good use of a set and slammed it, Scott kabonged the ball off the blockers, a few points later Bates typhooned a kill, Grove added a kill, Kenning added a kill, before the Terps finally finished it off.

For NC State, Salata picked up their first point with a smash, Meredith Richardson absolutely destroyed a Maryland overpass, Shafer had a key save during a long back and forth, Richardson had a kill off the defense, and Anna Moore had a block, and Salata attacked to keep the team within 1, Salata received the ball from a fellow teammate and smashed it home, Shafer added another blast late, Richardson came up with a kill from the net very late, Moore delivered the last point of the set for NC State, before the set was ended.

Maryland pulled to 17-8 and 8 to 5 in the ACC. North Carolina State dropped to 19-7, and 10-3 in the ACC. The Terps were also set to host North Carolina on Sunday.