Maryland volleyball still in search of first Big Ten win

Photo by Grayson Belanger/Maryland Terrapins. Photo courtesy of Maryland Athletics.

After dropping its first two Big Ten contests, Maryland volleyball finishes its three-game road trip against Rutgers before returning to College Park for its Big Ten home opener against No. 16 Penn State.

Maryland lost all six sets it played last week, losing to Iowa and No. 1 Nebraska. Defensive woes plagued the Terps, resulting in multiple lengthy scoring runs for the Hawkeyes and Cornhuskers. 

Maryland (7-5, 0-2 Big Ten) will head to Piscataway, N.J., to face Rutgers (9-5, 0-2 Big Ten) on Friday, a team that’s started conference play similarly. The Scarlet Knights also lost their first two conference matches, losing in straight sets to No. 7 Wisconsin and No. 12 Minnesota.

Despite the two Big Ten losses, the Scarlet Knights boast a solid offensive attack, outkilling their opponents 633-480 and hitting at a nearly 30% clip.

Sophomore outside hitter Aspen Maxwell spearheads the Scarlet Knights’ offense, accruing 202 kills, third-best in the Big Ten. Maxwell recorded 14 kills in the loss to the Golden Gophers and is hitting at a .309 rate this season.

The Scarlet Knights may have a sneaky advantage over the Terps. Three of the nine Big Ten leaders in service aces belong to the Scarlet Knights. Senior outside hitter Lexi Visintine leads the Big Ten with 27 service aces, while Maxwell and sophomore setter Lily Bolen are tied for sixth-best with 19. 

Solid serving from Rutgers could play a role in the matchup, following a weekend of defensive blunders for Maryland. If the Terps can successfully receive, offensive opportunities become more prevalent than they were in their first two Big Ten matches.

On Sunday, Maryland will host the reigning champion and No. 16 Penn State (7-5, 1-1 Big Ten) in College Park.

The Terps will play in the Xfinity Center for Main Court Mania, following a record-setting attendance of 13,071 in last season’s finale against Nebraska. 

With only two home games this season, the Terps are 2-0 and have yet to lose a set, having defeated Delaware State on Sept. 10 and Seton Hall on Sept. 19. 

The Nittany Lions have had a quieter start to the season, with the biggest story being sophomore setter Izzy Starck stepping away from the court to focus on her mental health. Starck was a critical part of Penn State’s run to the national championship, accounting for over 80% of her team’s assists and averaging nearly 11 per set.

In their last matchup, the Nittany Lions lost 3-1 to UCLA. The highlight was junior right-side hitter Kennedy Martin setting a single-game career-high with 34 kills. 

The Florida transfer stands at 6-foot-6-inches and leads the Big Ten in kills with 225. She also commands a solid offensive unit for the Nittany Lions, one that ranks fourth in the Big Ten with 641 team kills. 

The Terps have struggled this season containing powerhouse offensive players, allowing Jalyn Stout to notch 20 kills in their match against Coastal Carolina on Aug. 29. Nebraska also outkilled Maryland 49-25 in the Terps’ last game.

The Terps’ defense was strong in non-conference play, and they will need their defense to return to form to secure wins this weekend.