Box Score PISCATAWAY, NJ — The University of Maryland volleyball team (12-3, 2-1 B1G) claimed a victory in its first Big Ten road match of the 2023 season with a 3-1 (25-19, 25-14, 15-25, 25-18) victory over Rutgers (8-5, 0-3 B1G) Wednesday evening at Jersey Mike's Arena in Piscataway, NJ.
The win signifies the Terrapins first win in a Big Ten road opener since joining the conference, and their first win in conference road opener since 2012, when they were part of the ACC.Â
Maryland's offense could do no wrong in its fourth consecutive victory over the Scarlet Knights, hitting .333 as the team hit over .300 in a conference match for the first time since 2021. Three Terps recorded at least 10 kills, as senior pin hitter Samantha Schnitta led the bunch with 16 kills while senior outside hitter Sam Csire and sophomore outside hitter Laila Ivey pitched in 13Â and 11Â putaways respectively.
In addition to the scoring output, senior setter Sydney Dowler produced her first double-double of 2023 with 40 assists and 11 digs.
On the offensive side, Maryland dominated the first two sets, hitting .345 in the opening frame followed by a .476 performance in the second. After the Scarlet Knights earned the third set, the Terps fired back with a .412 hitting clip in the fourth and final set to clinch the midweek victory in Piscataway.
How It Happened
Set 1: Maryland 25 - Rutgers 19
- Maryland and Rutgers alternated points through the opening 10 rallies before a pair of Rutgers errors opened up a 7-5 advantage.
- The Scarlet Knights retook the lead, 8-7, with a 3-0 run capped by a Tina Grkovic service ace.
- Maryland created separation with a 5-0 run of its own, bolstered by Anastasia Russ and Samantha Schnitta, who each provided a kill and combined for a block assist, leading to a Rutgers timeout with a 12-8 score line.
- The run continued following the timeout with a pair of Laila Ivey putaways, capping a 7-0 run to put the Terps up 14-8.
- After Rutgers responded with a 4-1 run, Maryland halted the Scarlet Knight rally with a kill from Schnitta and a block from Eva Rohrbach to maintain the 19-14 lead and force another timeout.
- Maryland powered its way through the end of the set, fighting off a short Scarlet Knight run to clinch the opening frame.
- The Terps hit .345 in the opening stanza compared to a .088 clip from the Scarlet Knights.
- Schnitta and Ivey each recorded three kills in the set, while Lilly Gunter contributed six digs and a trio of assists.
Set 2: Maryland 25 - Rutgers 14
- Samantha Schnitta picked up Maryland's first three kills of the set.
- Laila Ivey continued her great start while Jonna Spohn picked up her first service ace of the evening to create a 4-0 run to put the Terps up 10-6.
- The Terps continued their momentum through the middle of the frame, compiling an 11-2 run to take a 19-8 lead.
- Maryland's offense was on fire to open the set, recording eight kills before its first attack error.
- Sam Csire slammed the door shut on the second stanza with a crisp shot down the line, putting Maryland up 2-0.
- In the set, the Terps faced few problems offensively, hitting .476.
- Ivey and Schnitta carried the offensive load in the frame, combining for 10 of the Terrapins' 13 putaways.
- Sydney Dowler facilitated the dominant performance, dishing out assists on all 13 of Maryland's kills.
Set 3: Rutgers 25 - Maryland 15
- Rutgers staked its lead early with a 7-2 run, going up 9-5 to open the set.
- The Scarlet Knights' advantage ballooned to 12-6 thanks to a 3-0 scoring stretch.
- The Terps battled back, cutting the deficit down to five at 16-11.
- Maryland fought to keep the set competitive, but the Scarlet Knights ran away with the frame late.
- Rutgers' defense had an impressive third set, putting up 22 digs in just the third stanza.
- Offensively, the Scarlet Knights hit .438 to spark the set triumph.
Set 4: Maryland 25 - Rutgers 18
- With the two sides locked in an early stalemate, the Terps opened up a 4-1 run, with a lengthy rally ended in a kill from Samantha Schnitta serving as the catalyst as Maryland took a 10-7 edge.
- Maryland utilized a 6-1 run featuring five kills and a Schnitta service ace to go up 17-10 and force a Rutgers timeout.
Numbers to Know
- .333: With a .333 hitting percentage, the Terps hit over.300 against a conference opponent for the first time since eclipsing that mark against Rutgers on Oct. 31, 2021.
- 1: Sydney Dowler put together her first double-double of the season, contributing 40 assists along with 11Â digs.
- 4: Maryland claimed its fourth consecutive victory over the Scarlet Knights.
- 6:Â Samantha Schnitta dropped 16Â kills for her sixth double-digit kill match of the campaign.
- 7: Sam Csire notched her seventh contest with 10+ kills this season, finishing off 13Â rallies.
- 16: Schnitta's 16 kills tied her season high, which she reached for the third time this season.
- 40: With Dowler's 40 kills, the senior setter has five matches of 40+ assists this year.
- 53: Maryland recorded 53 kills, marking the seventh time the Terps have eclipsed 50 kills in 2023.
- 400: Ivey notched her 400th career kill with a third set putaway.
Up Next
- The Terps hit the road once again Sunday for a clash at No. 22 Ohio State. First serve from the Covelli Center is slated for noon, and the contest will be broadcast on B1G+.
