Preview: Maryland volleyball hosts Rutgers, looking for first conference win

Photo courtesy of Dylan Davies/Maryland Athletics

Following a solid showing against No. 3 Penn State, Maryland (9-5, 0-3 Big Ten) has a chance to pick up its first conference win against a stumbling Rutgers (5-9, 0-3 Big Ten) team on Saturday at 7 p.m.

Though the Terps came up short against the Nittany Lions, dropping the match 3-1, there is a silver lining. The squad matched pace with a Final Four-caliber team and stifled one of the best offenses in the nation, especially in the first three sets.

“I thought it was a pretty good fight tonight against one of the top teams in the country,” head coach Adam Hughes said. “We put a lot of competitive effort in it, just came up a little bit short.”

Penn State hit .255 for the match, well below its average hitting percentage this season. Maryland stayed within five points in the first three sets, then let the game get away in the fourth, losing by nine points.

Samantha Schnitta and Jess Mruzik, the Terps’ and Nittany Lions’ kill leaders respectively, put up stellar performances in a duel of the star outside hitters. Both approached 20 kills, but Schnitta’s 19 kills slightly edged out Mruzik (17).

“We’re up against one of the best outsides in the country in Jess Mruzik, and I thought her and Schnitta had an incredible battle,” Hughes said. “And to put up the numbers Schnitta did, I thought she might’ve been the best player on the floor tonight.”

Outside of the star players shining, the surrounding pieces made the difference in the match, and Penn State had a clear advantage. Hughes praised the Nittany Lions’ depth heading into the match, saying the 2024 team reminded him of some of the championship-winning Penn State teams he coached.

Sam Csire and Sydney Bryant had productive outings, both posting double-digit kills, but Penn State’s Camryn Hannah and ultra-efficient hitter Taylor Trammell fueled the Nittany Lions’ victory.

Maryland now places near the bottom of the Big Ten and is one of only six teams without a conference win. Another one of those teams is Rutgers.

Like the Terps, the Scarlet Knights pushed their first two conference matches to five sets. Both Rutgers and Maryland could very well be 2-1 in conference play right now but, as Hughes has said repeatedly, they’ve failed to capitalize.

Outside hitter Alissa Kinkela has been far and away the best hitter for Rutgers this year. The 6-foot-4 Australian is the only Scarlet Knight to average over 3 kills per set (3.61) and to record triple-digit kills (177). 

Kinkela is also hitting nearly .300 (.293), the golden standard of hitting percentage. 

Outside of Kinkela, Rutgers doesn’t have many proven players to lean on. The Scarlet Knights are rostering only five upperclassmen and one senior, Ece Emrullah, who has gotten spot playing time this season with five sets played.

Rutgers’ offense has gotten solid contributions from its underclassmen, though the Scarlet Knights’ attack still ranks among the bottom of the Big Ten in kills per set and hitting percentage.

While Maryland returns home after competing with one of the best teams in the nation, Rutgers has to travel to College Park after getting crushed by Wisconsin at home. 

The Terps should enter this match with more confidence and momentum than the Scarlet Knights. But looks have been very deceiving for Maryland this season, as it fell to opponents who, on paper, should have been decisive victories.

In Big Ten volleyball, nothing is a given. The Terps will have to earn their first conference win and hope to do just that against Rutgers.