Preview: Maryland volleyball takes on Iowa following first conference loss

Photo courtesy of Ashley Ray/Maryland Terrapins

Maryland (9-3, 0-1 Big Ten) returns to the Xfinity Center Pavilion for its second conference match looking to redeem itself after a disappointing loss to Northwestern on Thursday.

The Terps face off against Iowa (7-6, 1-0 Big Ten) on Saturday at 7 p.m. and hope to rebuild momentum after the Wildcats snapped their eight-game winning streak.

In a gritty five-set match, Maryland’s attack sputtered. The Terps hit .198 on the day, well below their .262 average for the season. 

Samantha Schnitta and Sam Csire, both top-15 in the Big Ten in kills, had productive but inefficient outings, giving the Terps 31 combined kills, but hitting only .200 and .148, respectively.

Schnitta also continued her dominance from the end line. The outside hitter remains the Big Ten’s leader in service aces per set (.82) after firing a match-high six service aces.

Despite these efforts, Maryland’s defense could not contain Northwestern’s Alexa Rousseau. Rousseau went toe-to-toe with Schnitta, matching her 17 kills while hitting .333. 

Impact transfer Buse Hazan also chipped in 15 kills in a winning effort for the Wildcats.

Schnitta spoke about the need to quickly move on from disheartening losses and for the team to sight their sets on the next match.

“You can be upset about [the loss] for tonight, but then we step into practice tomorrow and it’s about Iowa,” Schnitta said.

Iowa travels to College Park after a five-set match of its own, though the Hawkeyes were able to edge out Rutgers. Alissa Kankela racked up an impressive 29 kills for the Scarlet Knights, but Iowa slowed down every other option and fended off Rutgers.

The win pushed Iowa above .500 and snapped a two-game skid, yet the team still sits in the lower half of the Big Ten by overall record.

The Hawkeyes have shown tremendous growth from 2023, already approaching last year’s win total of eight and recording a conference win, which they could not accomplish in 20 games of Big Ten play.

The turnaround is due in large part to Iowa’s youth. The Hawkeyes’ offense features three underclassmen who have recorded triple-digit kills on the year, led by freshman Malu Garcia (127). 

Veterans have contributed to Iowa’s hitting outside the top three. Seniors Gracie Gibson and Michelle Urquhart have each pitched in more than 80 kills on the year.

Though it has been well-rounded, the fatal flaw in the Hawkeyes’ offense has been its inefficiency. Iowa ranks in the bottom three of the Big Ten in hitting percentage (.223).

Despite Iowa’s record ranking in the middle of the pack and the team lacking any eye-popping statistics, they are ultimately a Big Ten opponent.

 Following the loss to Northwestern, coach Adam Hughes emphasized the toughness of playing in the best volleyball conference in the nation, no matter the team.

“It’s Big Ten volleyball, it’s what we expected, for it to be a battle every night,” Hughes said. “I thought [Northwestern] played incredibly hard.”

Hughes also highlighted his team’s need to capitalize on opportunities and finish sets strong.

“Thought we had some windows to capitalize in sets two and four and weren’t able to finish,” Hughes said. “We had more kills, more points, just didn’t do them in the right times.”

Maryland will have to deliver in clutch moments if it wants to take down Iowa for its first Big Ten win of the season.