The Terps have not won a set on their last two matches.
At risk of dropping the opening set at No. 14 Minnesota, Maryland volleyball desperately needed some production out of its front row. Middle blocker Eva Rohrbach, the team’s leader in total blocks with 61, did exactly that.
Rohrbach leaped up with her teammate and outside hitter Sydney Bryant, combining for a block that cut the Maryland deficit to 22-20. This, however, was a rare occurrence for the Terps in the match, as they were thoroughly out-blocked, 19-2, in a straight-set loss on Saturday night.
“If you don’t take enough pressure, you just end up having a ton of offense back at you,” head coach Adam Hughes said. “It’s hard as you’re trying to find different altitudes and edges of blocks. We’re finding the blocks fine, just not finding the edges that we want.”
After Friday night’s first straight set loss of the season against No. 9 Wisconsin, Maryland faced another tough road test in Minnesota. Less than 24 hours after their previous game, the Terps found themselves outmatched once again.
The Golden Gophers got themselves out to an early 7-3 lead after multiple Maryland errors and two kills from outside hitter Lydia Grote. But the Terps responded with a joint-block from middle blocker Anastasia Russ and outside hitter Sam Csire, cutting the deficit to one.
Kills from pin hitter Samantha Schnitta and Csire gave Maryland a short-lived lead. Schnitta, like she’s done all season long, kept the Terps in the opening set with three more kills. With Minnesota up, 19-18, it recorded three consecutive points, putting Maryland at risk of finding itself quickly out of the set.
A kill and service ace from Schnitta dwindled the Golden Gophers lead to one. Two kills from outside hitter Julia Hanson and Minnesota’s sixth team block of the first set closed it out, though, as the Terps fell, 25-21.
“Schnitta didn’t have as many aces, but she did have a better serving night than she did at Wisconsin,” Hughes said. “She got a bunch of out-of-system balls. That was one of the things that was a little bit frustrating, we were serving pretty well and still getting knocked out.”
Just like in the opening set, Maryland found itself down early in the second set, 9-2. A kill from Schnitta and Russ were sandwiched by four total blocks from the Golden Gophers’ middle blocker Phoebe Awoleye. Grote recorded three kills during this stretch, while Awoleye and outside hitter Alex Acevedo each tallied a kill.
Schnitta tried to spark some momentum for the Terps with a kill, but Minnesota quickly responded with five of the next seven points, including a service ace and kill from Grote. Trailing 14-5, two kills from Csire, one from setter Sydney Dowler and a service ace from Rohrbach cut the deficit back down to six.
However, that was the closest Maryland ever got, as the Golden Gophers shut down any potential run from the Terps. Bryant recorded two late kills in the set, but that wasn’t enough, as Minnesota came out on top, 25-15.
Maryland found itself ahead early in the third set, 5-3, with two kills from Dowler and one apiece from Schnitta and Russ. Two kills from Hanson cut the Terps’ lead to one, but they remained in front for a bit longer. Outside hitter Mckenna Wucherer, in her first match back from injury for the Golden Gophers, knotted the score at eight apiece.
Three kills from Csire gave Maryland the lead back, 13-11, but Minnesota responded with three straight points, including its 15th block of the match. A kill each from Schnitta, Bryant and Csire kept the Terps within one.
“I thought Csire did a really good job,” Hughes said. “She’s actually grown tremendously as someone who can find hands and tool hands.”
But three kills from Grote and another team-block extended the Golden Gophers lead to six. Csire looked to give Maryland some momentum, but back-to-back blocks from Minnesota shut the door. The Terps fell, 25-18, losing in straight sets in consecutive matches.
“[Associate head coach Becca Acevedo] did a good job of mixing and matching,” Hughes said. “Their bench was getting frustrated because they were trying to mix up servers or change serves. … If they can work like that as a unit, a good passing team, that is a huge help for us down the road.”
Three things to know
1. Offensive struggles. Maryland hit just 11.9%, slightly improving on its percentage from Friday’s match. Another concern is Minnesota’s 19 blocks — its season-high. Maryland has also only recorded three blocks over the past two matches.
2. Three consecutive road losses. The Terps have gone just 6-14 on the road, including losses in their last three. In addition, Maryland has yet to win a set at Minnesota since 1992. Despite pulling off the upset at home in 2023, the Golden Gophers continue to have the Terps’ number, with a 19-1 record against them.
3. Tough schedule ahead. Despite having played three of its last four matches against ranked teams, it doesn’t get much easier for Maryland. It returns home to face No. 16 USC before traveling on the road again, including two more ranked matchups.