Looking to continue its six-match winning streak and record its first neutral court victory since its opening match, Maryland volleyball took on the Nevada Wolf Pack. In their first match of the UCF Tournament, the Terps won in straight sets, dominating from the get-go.
Maryland (8-2) played its normal starting lineup, with middle blocker Eva Rohrbach returning to action after getting a day off against Delaware State.
Just like their previous matches, the Terps got out to an early lead in the opening set, with outside hitter Sam Csire recording a kill before middle blocker Anastasia Russ tallied a block. With the lead at three, the Wolf Pack scored four of the next five points to knot the score at four apiece.
Back-to-back kills from Csire helped open up a 9-5 lead. Kills from pin hitter Samantha Schnitta and Csire were followed up by a service ace from Rohrbach. With the lead at 13-7, Nevada scored four consecutive points, including a kill and block from middle blocker Koen Makaula. Libero Masyn Navarro also recorded two service aces during the run.
After a Maryland timeout, it went on to score two more points off a Schnitta kill and joint-block from Russ and Schnitta. The lead stayed at three before outside hitter Sydney Bryant and Csire each recorded a kill, putting the score at 19-14.
Hoping to spark a comeback, Nevada’s setter Tehya Maeva recorded a kill, but two kills from Csire and one from setter Sydney Dowler shut the door. Csire gave the Terps a set point with her eighth kill of the set before Russ and Dowler combined for a block to win the set, 25-15.
With the score knotted at two in the second set, libero Lilly Gunter recorded back-to-back kills before Bryant posted a kill, helping open up a 8-2 lead. Schnitta suffered two attacking errors before she tallied a kill and consecutive service aces, pushing the score to 11-4. Bryant and Csire each recorded a kill to keep the lead at seven.
Schnitta added two more kills while Russ added a block and kill, extending the Terps’ lead to 10. A service ace from Csire prompted head coach Adam Hughes to bring in freshman pin hitter Katherine Scherer, and she made an impact right away. Scherer recorded two kills to give Maryland a 22-10 advantage, before Csire recorded back-to-back kills to close out the set, 25-14.
In the third set, Nevada got off to an early 3-1 lead, as Wolf Pack’s outside hitter Gabby McLaughlin recording two kills. With the Terps trailing 8-5, a service error was followed up by back-to-back kills from Schnitta, knotting the score at eight. The teams traded points before Bryant recorded consecutive kills, giving Maryland a 14-13 lead.
Schnitta added a service ace and kill to extend the Terps’ lead to three. Back-to-back attack errors from Nevada were followed up by a service ace from defensive specialist Ally Williams. Nevada’s McLaughlin cut the lead to three before a joint-block from Russ and Schnitta moved the score to 21-16.
Two consecutive kills from Nevada’s outside hitter Sia Liilii helped cut the lead to one before Csire responded with a kill. Liilii tried to keep the Wolf Pack alive, but two errors from Nevada gave Maryland a tight 25-22 set victory.
The Terps maintained a balanced offensive attack all afternoon, with Schnitta and Csire each recording a dozen kills. Schnitta also added a match-high three service aces and three total blocks to lead the way for Maryland.
Three things to know
1. Neutral court victory. After winning six consecutive matches during their home stand, the Terps looked to carry this momentum on the road. Traveling to Orlando, Fla., Maryland defeated Nevada in straight sets, getting its first neutral-court win since the opening match.
2. Russ dominated at the net. Entering the match, Russ trailed Rohrbach by two blocks. However, Russ made an immediate impact against Nevada, recording a block on the second point of the match. She finished with six total blocks in the match, helping lead Maryland to victory.
3. Quick turnaround. The Terps close out the UCF Tournament on Saturday against UCF, as they look for their first road win of the season. The tournament finale will be the Terps’ third match in four days.
