Maryland volleyball earns third straight win, defeating Ohio State 3-1

Photo courtesy of Dylan Davies/Maryland Athletics

Coach Adam Hughes and the Terps knew they would need to slow down Emily Londot to have a shot against Ohio State (11-14, 4-11 Big Ten). They also knew they had an elite outside hitter of their own.

Maryland (13-13, 4-11 Big Ten) downed the Buckeyes 3-1 behind a record-breaking performance from Samantha Schnitta.

The pin hitter posted 18 kills on .441 hitting, 15 digs, a pair of blocks and seven service aces, including Schnitta’s 68th of the season, the most single-season aces in program history.

“[Schnitta] was scoring points from the front row, from the back row,” Hughes said. “I think one thing that she does for us is gives us stability so other people can just go about doing their jobs.”

The Terps did their best to contain Londot, but slowing down a two-time All-American is a tall task for any team. Londot ended with 15 kills on .244 hitting, but Schnitta decidedly won the outside hitter duel.

Both teams were hungry to start the first set, never allowing a lead of more than three points.

A five-point run sparked by a Schnitta kill followed by a pair of aces gave Maryland an 18-15 lead, just enough to close out the set.

Ohio State traded points with the Terps, but never put together a run of its own, falling 25-22 in set one.

The offense in the second set was even more sluggish, with both teams hitting below .160. Yet the set was ultimately determined by Maryland’s scoring runs. Virtually every streak for the Terps included a service or attack error committed by the Buckeyes, as seen in their .114 hitting for the set.

The Terps held a 16-13 lead, and a four-point run including three errors by Ohio State gave them all the cushion they needed.

In one of its better defensive sets of the year, Maryland prevailed 25-18.

Ohio State’s offense finally came around in the third set, hitting .282 with 15 kills, to Maryland’s 10 kills on .158 hitting.

With production from their go-to killer Londot, and a handful of kills from Rylee Rader, who notched 11 on the second-best efficiency in the match (.440), the Buckeyes took a 16-11 lead.

Maryland played from behind in nearly every set against ranked opponents, constantly struggling to piece together a run and give itself a lead. A five-point Ohio State lead about halfway through the set seemed to spell doom for the Terps, but the team has reversed trends like this in the past two games.

A six-point run largely brought on by Schnitta’s dominance from the line, including three aces, had Maryland leading by one. Ohio State sided out with Jonna Spohn’s service error and the match was tied at 18.

With defeat looming and their postseason hopes in peril, the Buckeyes ripped off an eight-point flurry from the service line and the front line to win the set 25-18 and force a fourth set.

The Terps played their best offensive set in the fourth, recording a match-high 14 kills and a .270 hitting percentage.

Game four was back-and-forth early, but, as in the first two sets, the Terps got hot when they needed to most. A 4-0 scoring run tied the match at 12 and a three-point stretch put Maryland up 20-17.

When Ohio State responded to that run, the Terps countered with two quick points and a three-point run to seal the set 25-21 and claim their third straight conference win.

“I thought we were really good from 20 on and that’s one of the things that was costing us maybe against Illinois’ early in the season or Washington,” Hughes said. “You know it’s unfortunate it took a little long time to get there but … it just speaks volumes to the team that they continue to push.”  

Maryland rolls into Sunday’s sold-out matchup against No. 4 Penn State in the Pavilion the most confident its been during conference play.