Maryland volleyball claims first Big Ten win 3-1 over Rutgers

Photo by Austin DeSisto/Maryland Terrapins. Photo courtesy of Maryland Athletics.

Over Maryland volleyball’s game losing streak, there has always been one positive constant: Ajack Malual.

In front of the home crowd on Wednesday, Malual thrived once again, tying a career-high 21-kill performance and finishing the game hitting at a .378 rate.

Maryland captured its first conference win this season, defeating Rutgers 3-1 at the Pavilion in College Park. The Terps hit at a season-high 34% clip and secured their first win since Sept. 19.

“[Malual]’s someone I can rely on a lot to get us out of hard situations,” redshirt freshman setter Lilly Wagner said. “I know for the most part she’s gonna take big swings.”

Maryland (8-9, 1-6 Big Ten) had struggled mightily on offense against Big Ten opponents entering Wednesday’s game. The Terps recorded a conference-worst 212 kills as a team in conference play and averaged just 9.64 kills per set. 

Against Rutgers, the Terps recorded a quarter of that total with 59 kills, and averaged 14.75 kills per set. 

Malual has led the team in kills in nearly every game of the 2025 campaign, reaching double digits in her last four games. The senior-transfer ranks sixth in the Big Ten with 223 kills this season, and has consistently powered the Terps’ offense. 

After a messy start, both offenses began trading points throughout the entire first half of the opening set. Malual and junior outside hitter Haley Melby both recorded two early kills for the Terps.

Malual continued to attack from the right side of the court, driving through blocks and finding holes in Rutgers’ (10-9, 1-6 Big Ten) defense. Malual notched kills from all over the court, including two crucial back row shots late in the set.

While Malual’s seven-kill first set gave the Terps a slight edge, Rutgers closed the set on a 3-0 scoring run to take the first set 26-24.

A strong start to the second set gave the Terps an early 5-2 lead, and a 3-0 scoring run shortly after further swelled the lead to 10-5. Malual added two more kills, as the Terps started the second set hitting at a .600 clip.

The Scarlet Knights’ blocking at the net began to cause issues for the Terps near the end of the set, but two late kills from Melby spearheaded a 5-0 scoring run. The run swapped momentum in the Terps’ favor, winning the second set, 25-23, and evening the score at one.

Malual tallied four kills in the set, as the Terps hit at .444 as a team, recording 17 kills on just five errors. Taking a set that seemed sure to go in the Scarlet Knights’ favor, it marked just the fourth winning set for the Terps in just as many games.

The Scarlet Knights opened the third set with a slim 5-3 lead, and clung to a two-point advantage for much of the early set. Junior middle blocker Zora Hardison had three early kills, powering an improved offensive attack that hit at .438 and grew the lead to 13-8.

Down 18-12, the Terps’ defense mounted a 5-0 scoring run to cut the lead to just one. Malual established her blocking presence in this set, notching three block assists and aiding the Terps in blocking their way to a 27-25 set victory.

“We didn’t panic in some of those tight situations,” head coach Adam Hughes said. “People made plays, and I thought it was the best we’ve played as a group this season.”

A 3-0 lead for the Scarlet Knights to open the fourth set was quickly erased as the Terps mounted multiple scoring runs to build a 13-8 lead halfway through the set. A slew of scoring runs followed from the Terps, minimizing errors by committing just two in the set. The result was a dominant 25-14 set victory and Maryland’s first Big Ten win this season.

“I was proud of the resiliency and the grind through it today,” Hughes said. “If we can handle that pressure, I thought today was a great kind of exposing of what the offense can look like.”