Maryland volleyball preview at No. 1 Nebraska and Iowa

Maryland volleyball (14-8, 4-6 Big Ten) gets set for a tough weekend road trip, traveling to No. 1 Nebraska (19-0, 10-0 Big Ten) Friday and Iowa (8-14, 0-10 Big Ten) Saturday.

The Terps were able to snap their four-game losing streak on Saturday with a four-set win against Iowa. In that match, Maryland found success in its serves. As a team, they recorded 11 service aces, tying a season-high.

Libero Lilly Gunter accounted for four service aces and added 15 digs. The senior is closing in on her 1,500th career dig and should reach that feat this weekend. Freshman defensive specialist Jonna Spohn also had a major performance on Saturday. After kicking off the match with a service ace, she added two more.

Setter Sydney Dowler was also in rhythm this weekend, recording a double-double in both matches. After putting together 40 assists with 11 digs against Illinois, the senior followed it up with 34 assists and 11 digs against Iowa.

The weekend opens against No. 1-ranked Nebraska. The Cornhuskers proved they were the best in the country after dethroning then-No.1 Wisconsin last weekend in five sets. Their unblemished record includes wins against eight ranked opponents.

In the win against Wisconsin, outside hitters Merritt Beason and Harper Murray combined for 35 kills. Beason and Murray have been a lethal duo offensively all season, each averaging over three kills per set while hitting over .250.

“That’s what is really challenging… who do you try and put an emphasis on?” coach Adam Hughes said. “We struggle with teams that can hit themselves out of trouble and I think that’s gonna be a big point of emphasis. The style of play is very different for Nebraska … they are more comfortable saying ‘If it’s off the net throw it high and go hit a good shot.’ That’s gonna put a lot of stress on us.”

Nebraska is a team that can be beaten at the net, laying down just under two and a half blocks per set. It also ranks eighth in the Big Ten in blocks allowed. This was present against Wisconsin, when the Cornhuskers put down seven blocks compared to Wisconsin’s 18. The Terps will look to exploit this as they are one of the best in the conference at the net, ranking third in blocks per set.

After Nebraska, the Terps will head to Iowa City for a rematch against the Hawkeyes. Maryland handed them their tenth straight loss last weekend.

In the matchup, redshirt freshman outside hitter Nataly Moravec accounted for most of the Iowa offense. She led the team in kills with 13 and a .149 hitting percentage. Senior outside hitter Caitlan Buettner has also been a high kill producer for the Hawkeyes, leading the team with 255 total.

“With a win sometimes you get stuck in thinking that everything went well,” Hughes said.. “We looked behind the scenes and we found a bunch of things that we probably need to do a lot better. I think Iowa will play a lot better at home. We didn’t have a lot of offensive production in certain areas and we’re going to have to be a lot better there.”

Iowa struggled offensively in the first two sets, hitting under .150 with single-digit kills in both. The Hawkeyes found their stride in the third set and dominated offensively but were unable to keep that level of play in the decisive fourth set.

Facing two opponents with different playstyles will be a good test for the Terps as they look to build on Saturday’s win.