The Terps recorded their best hitting percentage of the conference season.
Looking to keep hopes of a 10-win conference season alive, Maryland volleyball dominated Iowa on Saturday for its second win over the Hawkeyes in the past week, 3-0 (25-19, 25-8, 25-21).
The contest was an offensive spectacle. Both teams had 92 attack attempts, but Maryland reigned supreme with 42 kills to Iowa’s 28. Maryland also recorded its best hitting percentage of its conference season, slashing .337. Senior pin hitter Samantha Schnitta had one of her best matches of the season, recording 10 kills on just 13 attempts for an impressive .769 percentage.
“I think just being able to see the block and see what I had open and to take the swing that I saw and just go for it,” Schnitta said.
Equally as impressive, Maryland recorded a season-high 12 service aces. Junior setter Erin Engel and senior setter Sydney Dowler each recorded four.
“We tried to get the ball to dance a little bit more and not worry about speed as much,” said Terps head coach Adam Hughes. “Just across the board, I think we did a good job getting enough pressure from the end line with really good defense behind it.”
A thorn in its side at times, Maryland only committed 11 attack errors with none in the second set.
“Instead of trying to do too much, they hit really good cut rolls, hit really good shots,” Hughes said of the team’s effort. “Sometimes I think we want to score so bad [that] we’re kind of pushing it … it was a great display of something we’re trying to get better at.”
Maryland started off on the right foot with aces from freshman defense specialist Jonna Spohn and Engel. The Hawkeyes responded with a run of their own, though, to even the opening set at six.
Iowa continued to surge with a 5-0 run, forcing Hughes’ first timeout. Before the timeout, Maryland had not recorded a solo block or block assist as the defense struggled.
Looking to jumpstart the offense, kills from Schnitta and senior outside hitter Sam Csire brought the Terps within striking distance at 12-10. Back-to-back kills from Csire brought her to six on the night and gave Maryland a small 15-14 lead.
A 7-1 Maryland run saw an ace from Csire as Maryland extended its lead to 21-18.
In incredible fashion, Maryland closed out the set with three straight aces from Dowler to win it, 25-19.
The Terps battled with the Hawkeyes to start the second set. But then it became all Maryland, as the Terps ran away with the set in one of their best offensive displays of the season.
Maryland dominated with three more kills, two from Engel. Eight attack errors by Iowa aided the Terps, and Maryland did not commit one in the set. Three kills from sophomore outside hitter Laila Ivey led the Terps on their 9-0 run to end the second set, 25-8.
Facing an 0-2 deficit against Maryland for the second straight week, Iowa fought to start the third set, The Hawkeyes took a 3-0 lead out of the gates with an ace from freshman outside hitter Nataly Moravec.
The Terps responded with two more kills from Csire but still trailed 8-5. Not backing down, Maryland surged back with a 6-0 run to take back the lead at 11-8. Maryland’s defense stood tall during the run with block assists from Ivey and senior middle blocker Anastasia Russ.
With Iowa coming back, Maryland switched into second gear, unloading a 7-2 run to go up 21-15. The Hawkeyes attempted to force a fourth set after three straight Maryland errors, but kills from Schnitta and Ivey secured the Terps the set victory and sweep, 25-21.
Three things to know
- Aces all the way. Maryland’s 12 service aces were the most it has had all season. Sydney Dowler and Erin Engel each recorded four. Maryland’s back line was exceptional in the match.
- Attacking clinic. Maryland set a new high in Big Ten play with a .337 hitting percentage, firing on all cylinders. Maryland also only had 11 attack errors in the match with none in the second set.
- Russ back in form. Anastasia Russ led all players with five total blocks as part of Maryland’s team total of eight.