University of Maryland Athletics

Volleyball 8/23/2023 10:00:00 AM

Terps Open 2023 Campaign At Canes Classic Tournament

Maryland (0-0)

vs.

FIU (0-0)

August 25, 2023

James L. Knight Sports Complex

11:00 a.m.

Live Stats

Maryland (0-0)

RV Miami (0-0)

August 25, 2023

James L. Knight Sports Complex

7:00 p.m.

ACCNX

Watch Live Stats

Maryland (0-0)

vs.

Lamar (0-0)

August 26, 2023

James L. Knight Sports Complex

1:00 p.m.

Live Stats

COLLEGE PARK, MD - The University of Maryland volleyball team begins the 2023 season at the three-game Canes Classic tournament hosted in Coral Gables, Florida by the University of Miami. The Terps will face FIU in its season opener followed by a match against Miami on Friday before closing out the weekend with a Saturday contest against Lamar.

Maryland's match against Miami will be televised on ACCNX.
Maryland Match Notes

Last Time vs. Miami

Ten years have passed since the former ACC rivals squared off on the volleyball court, as the matchup on October 13, 2013 marked the last time the Terps and the Hurricanes faced off before Maryland departed the conference.
In the last clash between the two programs, Miami picked up a sweep over Maryland in Coral Gables despite a career-best hitting percentage of .636 and 15 kills from Adreené Elliott.

Adreené Elliott stands among the greats of Maryland volleyball, ranking first in career solo blocks (99), third in career kills (1,424) and fourth in total points (1,717; 1,424 k, 44 a, 399 b).

Last time vs. FIU

Even more time has passed since Maryland and FIU have shared the same volleyball court, as a September 16, 2006 showdown marked the most recent match between the two programs.
Back when NCAA still utilized 30-point sets, the Terps and Panthers went the distance, with Maryland claiming its final match at the Hilton Garden Inn Greenbelt Invitational in five sets.
Maryland claimed the first set, 33-31, before handily claiming the second set, 30-20. FIU sent the match to a fifth and deciding set with victories in the third and fourth set, but the Terps staved off the Panthers' comeback by taking the final set, 16-14.

Katie Usher (2006-09) played a vital role in Maryland's most recent win over FIU in 2006, providing eight kills and 10 total blocks to help the Terps prevail in five sets.

starting off strong

The Terps have been consistent in opening up their season with a win this decade.
Since 2013, Maryland has gone 9-1 in its first match of the season, with six of those victories coming via sweep.

Laila Ivey (2) played a vital role in the 2022 season opener against Rhode Island, providing 13 kills in her collegiate debut to help the Terps sweep the Rams.

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.

The Terps secured one of the biggest wins in program history in 2022, knocking off No. 5 Ohio State in four sets to secure the team's second AVCA Top 10 victory of the season.

blocking bonanza

The Terps possessed one of the stingiest defenses in the country thanks to a stifling presence at the net for a second-straight season.
As a team, Maryland paced the country in blocks per set (3.33) and total team blocks (396.5), signifying the second-consecutive season in which the Terps finished among the top five in the NCAA in those categories. In 2021, the Terps led the NCAA in blocks per set while finishing fourth in total team blocks.
Rainelle Jones and Anastasia Russ led the way on the block in 2022, finishing with the second and fourth in blocks per set rate in the country, respectively. The duo both finished among the top 10 in total blocks as well, with Russ ranking third with 182 blocks and Jones tying for 10th with 173 blocks.
In the Big Ten rankings, Russ and Jones finished first and third in blocks, respectively, while Laila Ricks finished ninth with 122 rejections.

Laila Ricks (6) and Anastasia Russ (88) enter 2023 as Maryland's best returning blockers, with Russ leading the Big Ten with 182 and Ricks finishing ninth in the conference with 122 rejections in 2022.

hop on the russ bus

Anastasia Russ is back for her redshirt senior year after a tremendous first season with Maryland.
The redshirt junior transfer from Pittsburgh slid into a starting role as a middle blocker, ranking third in the country in total blocks (182) and fourth in blocks per set (1.54) to earn Second Team All-Big Ten and AVCA Northeast All-Region honors.
Additionally, the Pittsburgh, PA native won a pair of Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week awards, winning the award on Oct. 17 after combining for 15 total blocks to power sweeps over Northwestern and No. 9 Purdue, then winning her second accolade on Nov. 21 after recording a career-high 12 total blocks in an upset over No. 5 Ohio State.

Anastasia Russ enters her fifth college season as one of the most formidable middle blockers in the country, finishing the 2022 regular season with a nation-leading 182 total blocks. She earned Second Team All-Big Ten and AVCA Northeast All-Region nods for her efforts.

good csire

Heading into her senior year, Sam Csire looks to join elite company and move her way up the Maryland volleyball record books.
In 2022, Csire led the team in kills (401), attempts (1295) and points (460.5). Additionally, Csire recorded double-digit kills in 23 of the Terps' 32 matches, while notching six double-doubles.
The Strongsville, OH, product put in a career performance in the Terps' upset of No. 5 Ohio State, earning a double-double by registering a season-best 22 kills along with 10 digs.
Entering 2023, Csire is primed to join Maryland's 1,000-Kill Club, as she sits at 891 career kills, where she would become the 15th member of the prestigious group.

Sam Csire has powered the Maryland offense for two seasons, leading the Terps in kills for back-to-back seasons as she sits just 109 kills shy of her 1,000th career kill.

dowler setting the tone

As the Terps' starting setter, Sydney Dowler hopes to facilitate a strong offensive year in her senior season.
In 2022, the Green Hope, NC, native dished out 1,012 assists, marking her second-consecutive season with at least 1,000 assists, while averaging 8.72 assists per set.
On serve, she led the Terps with 40 aces, which tied for fifth in the Big Ten.
Defensively, Dowler made her mark in the backcourt and at the net, as she ranked second on the team with 282 digs and fourth on the team with 111 blocks.
Her offensive and defensive proficiency led to 12 double-doubles on the season, the most on the Maryland roster in 2022.

Sydney Dowler plays a vital role for Maryland on both offense and defense, recording back-to-back 1,000-assist seasons in 2021-22 along with over 100 blocks and nearly 300 digs in 2022.

moves in the magnolia state

Maryland head coach Adam Hughes dipped into the state of Missisippi for a pair of instant impact transfers, plucking Lilly Gunter from Mississippi State while nabbing Samantha Schnitta from Ole Miss.
Gunter joins the Terps after serving as the regular defensive specialist/libero with the Bulldogs for three seasons. She has totaled 1,190 career digs, ranking third in the SEC with 4.29 digs per set in conference play.
After playing pin hitter for the Rebels for three seasons, Schnitta joins the Terps to bolster the offense. Schnitta enters 2023 with 432 kills, averaging 2.26 kills per set with a .212 career hitting percentage.

Lilly Gunter, alongside Samantha Schnitta, bring NCAA Tournament experience to the Terps from Mississippi State and Ole Miss, respectively.

fresh faces

Maryland welcomes four freshman into the fold for the 2023 season (Sydney Bryant, Alex McGillivray, Eva Rohrbach and Jonna Spohn) for their first collegiate season.
From nearby Upper Marlboro, MD, Bryant was a nominee for 2022-23 Virginia Gatorade Player of the Year and VISAA Player of the Year as an outside hitter for Flint Hill High School, leading the Huskies to a pair of state volleyball championships.
McGillivray, a Solana Beach, CA native, had a successful prep career as the libero for the Torrey Pines High School, one of the top high school volleyball teams in the country.
A middle blocker from San Diego, CA, Rohrbach joins the Terps as a VolleyballMag.com Fab 50 nominee who earned 2021 Prep Volleyball Second Team High School All-American and 2021 First Team All-CIF honors.
Spohn rounds out the roster as a highly-decorated libero from Lewis Center, OH, who was named a 2022 AVCA All-American and AVCA All-Region selection while being named to the OHSAA First Team All-State.

The Terps welcome four freshmen to the team's roster (from left: Sydney Bryant, Jonna Spohn, Alex McGillivray and Eva Rohrbach) as the team's largest recruiting class since 2021.

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.

Assistant coach Ryan Ammerman has success as both a player and coach at the collegiate and club level of men's volleyball.

road warriors

Despite playing in some of the toughest enivronments in the country, Maryland held its own away from College Park, finishing 2022 with an 8-5 record in road contests.
The Terps had an outstanding October on the road, finishing 4-1 away from home in the thick of the Big Ten schedule while winning four consecutive matches.
With the four-match win streak, Maryland won four consecutive Big Ten matches for the first time in program history, sweeping Rutgers, Northwestern and No. 9 Purdue before taking down Iowa in four sets.

Maryland secured a landmark victory last October, knocking off No. 9 Purdue in three sets to earn the program's first road victory over an AVCA Top 10 program.

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Players Mentioned

#0 Rainelle Jones: MB; 6' 3"; Graduate Student

#44 Sam Csire: OH; 6' 0"; Senior

#8 Sydney Dowler: S; 6' 0"; Senior

#2 Laila Ivey: OH; 6' 1"; Sophomore

#6 Laila Ricks: RS; 6' 0"; Senior

#88 Anastasia Russ: MB; 6' 5"; Redshirt Senior

#1 Samantha Schnitta: PH; 6' 0"; Senior

#4 Lilly Gunter: L; 5' 8"; Senior

#16 Sydney Bryant: OH; 5' 11"; Freshman

#17 Eva Rohrbach: MB; 6' 2"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#0 Rainelle Jones
: 6' 3"; Graduate Student
: MB

#44 Sam Csire
: 6' 0"; Senior
: OH

#8 Sydney Dowler
: 6' 0"; Senior
: S

#2 Laila Ivey
: 6' 1"; Sophomore
: OH

#6 Laila Ricks
: 6' 0"; Senior
: RS

#88 Anastasia Russ
: 6' 5"; Redshirt Senior
: MB

#1 Samantha Schnitta
: 6' 0"; Senior
: PH

#4 Lilly Gunter
: 5' 8"; Senior
: L

#16 Sydney Bryant
: 5' 11"; Freshman
: OH

#17 Eva Rohrbach
: 6' 2"; Freshman
: MB