Samantha Schnitta records team-high 13 kills, Maryland volleyball downs Iowa, 3-1

Samantha Schnitta layed down a kill that found a gap in the back of the Iowa defense. As the ball landed, a sense of relief fell over the gym.

Schnitta’s 13th kill of the night ended Maryland volleyball’s (14-8, 4-6 Big Ten) four-game losing streak, handing Iowa (8-14, 0-10 Big Ten) its tenth straight loss.

Iowa’s 11-1 run to end the third set did not deter Maryland heading into the next set. Early kills from Sam Csire and Sydney Bryant put the Hawkeyes in a hole they could not escape. The Terps ran away with the fourth and final set, winning 25-17.

“We were able to get them a little bit more out of system,” coach Adam Hughes said. “I thought we did a pretty good job controlling some of the easier balls, some of the balls that were out of system, we were digging.”

Serving proved to be an early difference-maker for the Terps. Four of their first six points came from aces with three from senior libero Lilly Gunter.

Jonna Spohn kicked off the match with a serve that hit the top of the net and found a gap in the Hawkeye defense. Back-to-back blocks later in the set from Laila Ivey and Eva Rohrbach ignited the home crowd. Despite this, Iowa still kept the set close after a handful of Maryland attack errors.

Ultimately, the Terps’ late run led to a 25-16 set win. Rohrbach was exceptional in the set and contributed in a variety of ways. The freshman middle blocker accounted for a pair of blocks and three kills while hitting .500.

Schnitta was also an early difference-maker and carried it into the second set. After opening the second set with a kill, she laid down three more to help Maryland to another set victory. The Terps ended the set on a 5-0 run including kills from Rohrbach and Sydney Dowler.

As a unit, Maryland’s offense hummed to the tune of a .290 hitting percentage, 13 kills and three more service aces. Serving was once again a major factor as Iowa gifted the Terps three points on bad serves.

“It just gives us a lot of confidence… especially that I know we’ll probably get on runs,” Gunter said. “We have a strong back row and I know they are gonna hustle for balls and give all effort.”

In the third set, the Hawkeyes were still unable to limit errors. Three of Maryland’s first four points came from Iowa errors. However, the Hawkeyes hunkered down and ended the set hitting .481 with 16 kills.

“The only thing that was a disappointment was we let set three get away,” Hughes said. “I just thought we got a little bit distracted.”

Outside hitter Nataly Moravec accounted for most of the Iowa offense. The redshirt freshman led the team in kills with 13 and a .149 hitting percentage. Moravec also got it done defensively, adding five digs.

Maryland committed a plethora of errors to start the third. The Hawkeyes’ run gave the Terps their largest lead of the night. An 11-1 run later in the set helped them to a 25-17 set three win.

The four-set win gives the Terps some momentum before heading back on the road. They will soon start a two-weekend-long road trip, starting with No. 2 Nebraska on Friday.