Terps Host Illinois and Iowa In Weekend Series

Illinois (8-10, 3-5 B1G)

vs.

Maryland (13-7, 3-5 B1G)

October 20, 2023

XFINITY Center Pavilion

7:00 p.m.

B1G+

Watch Live Stats Buy Tickets

Iowa (8-12, 0-8 B1G)

vs.

Maryland (13-7, 3-5 B1G)

October 21, 2023

XFINITY Center Pavilion

7:00 p.m.

B1G+

Watch Live Stats Buy Tickets

COLLEGE PARK, MD — The University of Maryland volleyball team (13-7, 3-5 B1G) returns to the XFINITY Center Pavilion to continue its Big Ten schedule, as the Terps welcome Illinois (8-10, 3-5 B1G) Friday night and Iowa (8-12, 0-8 B1G) for a Saturday-night contest. Both matches will be streamed on B1G+.

Friday night is NASCAR night, where fans can receive a free T-shirt and join the Terps for a fast and fun NASCAR-themed match. The contest against Illinois is also Girl Scout Night, where local Girl Scouts are invited to attend the match for free by wearing their Girl Scout vest. All Girl Scouts in attendance will receive a Maryland Athletics patch. Fans can also arrive early to make a poster to cheer on the Terps during the match.

Saturday night's showdown against Iowa is the Dig Pink Match. In honor of breast cancer awareness month, fans are encouraged to wear pink. Proceeds from an online fundraiser will benefit the Side-Out Foundation. Additionally, the match is Terrapin Club Night, where all Terrapin Club donors at the Bronze level and above may claim a complimentary ticket for themselves and four guests, and Faculty and Staff Appreciation Night, where all university faculty and staff members may bring two guests to the match for discounted admission.

Going With Gunter

Since the schedule has transitioned into Big Ten play, senior libero Lilly Gunter has played a vital role for the Maryland defense, putting up outstanding numbers as a part of the back row.
In her first eight conference matches with Maryland, Gunter has recorded 3.93 digs per set while recording over 15 digs in four contests. Across the entire season, Gunter ranks seventh in the Big Ten with 3.65 digs per set.
Gunter notched back-to-back contests of 20 digs against Indiana and Northwestern, marking the first time this season a Terp has recorded that feat.
In Maryland's upset over No. 16 Minnesota two weeks ago, Gunter racked up 19 digs along with eight assists in the five-set thriller against the Golden Gophers.

Across matches against No. 16 Minnesota, Indiana and Northwestern, Lilly Gunter accumulated 59 digs (4.92 digs per set).

A-Russ Does It All

Redshirt senior middle blocker Anastasia Russ has shone as one the most efficient hitters in the country and one of the most potent blockers in the conference past the halfway point of the season.
The redshirt senior leads Maryland and ranks fourth in the Big Ten and 45th in the country with a hitting percentage of .379.
Russ' blocking prowess was on display in Maryland's upset over No. 16 Minnesota, as she tied her season high with nine total blocks. She currently ranks sixth in the Big Ten and 45th in the country with 1.28 blocks per set.
On offense, Russ earned her third double-digit kill match of 2023 against Indiana, tying a season-best 11 kills on a .409 hitting percentage.
In a season and a half at Maryland, the Pittsburgh, PA product currently owns a .355 career hitting percentage, the highest in program history.

Anastasia Russ ranks among the top-50 players in the nation in hitting percentage (.379) and blocks per set (1.28), ranking 45th in both categories.

New Kid On The Rohr-Block

Eva Rohrbach has starred as one of the top freshmen in the country this season, as her offensive and defensive numbers stack up with the best among first-year players.
The middle blocker has been one of the most efficient hitters in the nation, as her .373 hitting clip ranks second among all freshmen and 57th in the country. Additionally, she has recorded double-digit kills in four matches this season.
On the defensive side, Rohrbach is second on the Terps with 1.25 blocks per set, the fifth-highest freshman rate in the country. The San Diego, CA star has recorded five or more blocks in eight matches this season.

Eva Rohrbach ranks among the top five freshmen in the country in hitting percentage (second) and blocks per set (fifth), as the first-year Terp has started every match so far this season.

Double-Double Dowler

Since the start of conference play, senior setter Sydney Dowler has done it all for Maryland, recording three double-doubles across the Terps' first eight Big Ten matches.
The Oconomowoc, WI product earned her third double-double of 2023 last Friday against Northwestern, dishing out 35 assists along with a season-high 16 digs and a career-best seven kills.
In the five-set win over No. 16 Minnesota, Dowler racked up 38 assists while picking up 14 digs to guide the Terps to their first-ever win over the Golden Gophers.
Dowler notched her first double-double of the season nine nights prior against Rutgers, when she dished out 40 assists (10 assists/set) and picked up 11 digs.
The Sept. 5 Big Ten Setter of the Week is also on pace to become the sixth Terp in program history to record 3,000 career assists, as her total through three-plus years in College Park sits at 2,974 entering the weekend.

In her last six matches, Sydney Dowler has produced three double-doubles, with her most recent effort against Northwestern yielding 35 assists, a season-high 16 digs and a career-high seven kills.

A Balanced Bunch

Maryland's offensive efficiency has not been powered by one dominant force, but rather the contributions of a balanced offensive unit.
Six different Terps have multiple matches with double-digit kills, led by senior outside hitter Sam Csire, who has nine such matches on the campaign.
Any offensive player on the Maryland roster can step up and lead the offense, as shown by the seven different players who have led the team in kills in a match this year.
The Terps have had at least two players reach double-digit kills in 10 matches and at least three double-digit killers in five.
Additionally, for the first time in Adam Hughes' stint as head coach, Maryland had a match with four different Terps with double-digit kills against Utah Valley on Sept. 2 and a match with five different players who reached 10 kills against Coastal Carolina on Sept. 8.

With the facilitation of Sydney Dowler (right), the Maryland offense has been humming with Eva Rohrbach (left) and Laila Ricks (center) among the six Terps who have recorded a double-digit kill outing in 2023.

Live Ammo

Former NCAA Men's Volleyball National Champion and NCAA Most Outstanding Player Ryan Ammerman joined the Maryland volleyball coaching staff in May 2023.
Ammerman joins the Terps' coaching staff after spending the 2022-23 season as an assistant coach for his alma mater, UC Irvine, coaching the men's team to the Big West Tournament title game.
As a setter for the Anteaters from 2004-09, Ammerman led UCI to its first two NCAA National Championships in 2007 and 2009. In his final season, Ammerman was named AVCA First Team All-American honors while winning the NCAA Most Outstanding Player award.
Ammerman and Maryland head coach Adam Hughes had overlap during their times at UC Irvine, as Ammerman won his second national title for the Anteaters while Hughes served as a volunteer assistant with the women's team between 2008-09.

Ryan Ammerman is in the midst of his first season as an assistant coach at Maryland following a stellar playing career in the collegiate, European and international circuits and seven years of coaching at the club and college levels.

Scouting The Fighting Illini

Illinois enters the weekend with an 8-10 overall record to go along with a 3-5 conference standing in the team's seventh season under Chris Tamas.
After finishing non-conference play with a 5-5 record, the Fighting Illini have secured their three Big Ten wins in a five-set thriller against Michigan State, a sweep over Iowa and a four-set win against Rutgers in their most recent outing.
Senior outside hitter Raina Terry has been the biggest offensive force for Illinois as she has been for the previous three seasons. She leads the Big Ten with 4.84 kills per set and 5.51 points per set. Her 1,429 career kills rank 25th among active NCAA volleyball players.
Feeding Terry on the outside is redshirt sophomore setter Brooke Mosher. She has followed up her All-Big Ten Freshman Team campaign with nine double-doubles as she sits eighth in the Big Ten with 9.04 assists per set.
Graduate middle blocker Kennedy Collins has put together arguably the best season of her five-year career. Her .371 hitting percentage ranks seventh in the conference and is on pace for her best single-season clip. On the defensive end, Collins is on pace for the highest digs per set (0.97) and blocks per set (1.13) in her career.

Scouting The Hawkeyes

In Jim Barnes' second season in Iowa City, the Hawkeyes have amassed an 8-12 overall record and have yet to pick up their first Big Ten win of 2023.
After an 8-4 non-conference slate which featured a Power Five sweep over Syracuse, Iowa nearly pulled off a massive upset in its B1G home opener, pushing No. 12 Minnesota to five sets.
After the near-upset at home, the Hawkeyes did not win a set in their ensuing six matches, winning their first set in three weeks in their most recent contest against Michigan State.
The Hawkeyes excel as a digging team with a Big Ten-leading 15.25 digs per set, spearheaded by redshirt sophomore libero Sydney Dennis, who ranks sixth in the conference with 4.03 digs per frame.
Additionally, the team ranks fourth in the Big Ten with 1.61 service aces per set as junior outside hitter Michelle Urquhart ranks second in the conference and 18th in the country with 0.52 aces per set.

2022 In Review

Maryland finished the 2022 season with a 16-16 record, along with a 7-13 mark against the Big Ten.
For the first time in head coach Adam Hughes' tenure, the Terps won seven games in the Big Ten in back-to-back seasons.
One of the key turning points came when Maryland secured sweeps in three consecutive Big Ten road matches for the first time since joining the conference.
Maryland's sweep streak was capped off with a dominant win at No. 9 Purdue on Oct. 16, marking the Terps first-ever top-10 road victory.
The Terps scored their second upset win of 2022 at the XFINITY Center Pavilion on Nov. 18, with a 3-1 victory over No. 5 Ohio State, ending the Buckeyes' 14-match win streak.

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