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University of Maryland Athletics

Celebration Over Rutgers

Volleyball

Maryland Defeats Rutgers in Four Sets to Capture Conference Win

The Terps flipped the script in the second set and never looked back as Ajack Malual tallied 21 kills.

COLLEGE PARK, MD — Maryland flipped the momentum of Wednesday's match in the second set and rode it to the Terps' (8-9, 1-6 Big Ten) first conference win over the year in four (24-26, 25-23, 27-25, 25-14) sets over Rutgers (10-9, 1-6 Big Ten) at the Schanwald Pavilion. 

Rutgers held a 23-20 lead in the second set and sat just two points from taking a commanding two-set lead, but Maryland stormed back with a 5-0 run to snag a 25-23 set win and even the night,  flipping the evening's momentum on its head.  After falling behind in the third set, another slew of Maryland runs brought the Terps back within a point on several occasions. A string of late Rutgers errors brought the set to a 24-24 tie and Maryland finished the fight to take a 27-25 set win and move a frame away from victory. The first set had been less fortuitous. The Terps limited Rutgers to a .143 hitting percentage, but the Scarlet Knights used a trio of aces to claim a 26-24 win in the opening frame. During the set, Ajack Malual moved into fifth in the Big Ten in total kills. She raised her season total to 244 on Wednesday.

The fourth set was all Terps as they closed out their first Big Ten win of the season and avenged a previous loss to Rutgers. Maryland took the final set 25-14 as the Schanwald Pavilion erupted in elation. Duru Gökçen had a massive night, collecting six blocks to claim sole possession of first place in the Big Ten in total blocks with 85 in 2025. Eva Rohrbach sits right behind her with 81 after her three-block night brought her season tally to 81. 

How it Happened:
Set 1:
  • The Terps jumped out to an early 4-1 lead. 
  • Malual and Melby collected kills in a 3-0 Terps run that put them ahead 7-4.
  • A thumping kill from Sydney Bryant evened the match at 10-10.
  • Melby and Rohrbach put the Terps on top 12-11 with a block.
  • A Rutgers ace gave the Scarlet Knights a 15-14 lead at the media timeout. 
  • Lilly Wagner's first kill put Maryland ahead 17-15 as a part of a 3-0 run.
  • Malual's sixth kill of the set evened the frame at 22-22.
  • Rutgers took the opening set 26-24.
Set 2:
  • Melby and Gökçen teamed up for a block to open the set with a 1-0 lead.  
  • Jonna Spohn's third ace of the season put Maryland ahead 4-1.
  • A pair of kills from Bryant built a 9-5 Maryland advantage. 
  • Maryland and Rutgers traded service errors as the Terps held a 13-10 lead. 
  • A Melby ace gave the Terps their 15th point of the set.
  • Maryland used a 4-1 run to claim a 17-14 lead.
  • Rutgers rallied to go ahead 19-18.
  • Malual's 10th kill of the night gave Maryland its 20th point of the set.
  • A 3-0 Maryland run evened the set at 23-23.
  • A Wagner and Rohrbach block completed the Maryland comeback and ended the night with a 25-23 set win. 
  • The Terps finished the second set on a 5-0 run. 
Set 3:
  • Rutgers opened a 4-2 lead to start the set. 
  • Maryland used a Malual kill to come back within two, 9-7.
  • Kills from Malual and Bryant gave the Terps their 10th and 11th points of the set.
  • A Rutgers ace put the Scarlet Knights ahead 18-12. 
  • A 5-0 Terps run brought Maryland back within one and forced a Rutgers timeout. 
  • Another 3-0 run kept the Terps in the set. 
  • A pair of Rutgers errors evened the set at 23-23. 
  • A Malual kill tied the frame at 25-25. 
  • The Terps snatched the second set 27-25. 
Set 4:
  • A 5-0 run from the Terps featured a pair of Spohn aces as Maryland claimed an early 5-3 lead. 
  • A Wagner kill handed the Terps an 11-8 lead.
  • A 3-0 Maryland run forced a Rutgers timeout as the Terps took a 16-9 advantage. 
  • Malual's 20th kill put Maryland six points away from victory, 19-11.
  • A Melby kill captured a 21-12 Maryland lead. 
  • A kill from Gökçen finished the night with a 25-14 set win.
Numbers to Know:
  • 10: The Terps collected 10 total blocks on Wednesday. 
  • 11: Bryant tied her season high with 11 kills.
  • 25: Maryland improved to 25-15 all-time against Rutgers, avenging a four-set loss earlier in the season.
  • 30: Malaul's 30 aces lead the conference. 
  • 48: Wagner tied her career high with 48 assists.
  • 217: Ally Williams' 11 digs against Rutgers brings her season total to 217, good for fifth in the Big Ten.
  • 81: With three blocks on Wednesday, Rohrbach moved into second in the conference with 81 on the season.
  • 85: With six blocks on Wednesday, Gökçen bumped her conference-leading total to 85.
  • 157: The Terps held the Scarlet Knights to a .157 hitting percentage on Wednesday. 
  • 244: With 21 kills against Rutgers, Malual moves to fifth in the Big Ten with 244 on the season. 
  • 444: The Terps hit an impressive .444 in their second-set win.
Adam Hughes' Message:
  • "It's not just a win, it's how they did it. I'm extremely proud of them for tonight."
  • "There was no panic. I thought everyone held the line. I was pretty hard on them and they responded great."
  • "Duru's starting to understand what she can do at this level and Eva's done a really good job of taking her skills to a new level."
  • "I think this group's got a lot of good volleyball ahead of them."
Wagner's Wonderful Wednesday:
  • "The energy is something that I've always brought with me. The reason I play is that it brings me joy. I try to lead by example and to get the others around me to all rise to the same level."
  • "It means a lot that we've used what's happened this season as a learning experience instead of just being stuck with it and letting it drag us down. We're proud of each other."
Up Next:
  • Maryland takes on Michigan State on the road on Oct. 19. The match will start at 1 PM and air on B1G+.
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Players Mentioned

Sydney Bryant

#16 Sydney Bryant

OH
5' 11"
Junior
Eva Rohrbach

#44 Eva Rohrbach

MB
6' 2"
Junior
Jonna Spohn

#7 Jonna Spohn

DS
5' 5"
Junior
Lilly Wagner

#26 Lilly Wagner

S
6' 0"
Redshirt Freshman
Ally Williams

#24 Ally Williams

DS
5' 3"
Senior
Ajack Malual

#3 Ajack Malual

RS
6' 1"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Sydney Bryant

#16 Sydney Bryant

5' 11"
Junior
OH
Eva Rohrbach

#44 Eva Rohrbach

6' 2"
Junior
MB
Jonna Spohn

#7 Jonna Spohn

5' 5"
Junior
DS
Lilly Wagner

#26 Lilly Wagner

6' 0"
Redshirt Freshman
S
Ally Williams

#24 Ally Williams

5' 3"
Senior
DS
Ajack Malual

#3 Ajack Malual

6' 1"
Senior
RS