Maryland volleyball downed in by No. 4 Penn State, 3-1

Maryland volleyball pin hitter Samantha Schnitta hoped to erase an earlier mistake that gave No. 4 Penn State’s outside hitter Jess Mruzik a service ace. The costly error gave the Nittany Lions a 6-3 lead in the opening set.

Schnitta strung together back-to-back service aces to knot the first set at six apiece. But then Penn State’s explosive offense — which boasts the fourth-most kills per set in the nation — heated up. The Terps had no response, falling in four sets (13-25, 25-22, 13-25, 15-25) Sunday.

“One of things that [Penn State] does a really good job of is they’re very scrappy,” head coach Adam Hughes said. “They find themselves more swings and then they just take big hacks.”

Maryland sought to continue its three-game winning streak and avenge a four-set loss to the Nittany Lions earlier this season. Instead, the Terps were outplayed from the get-go and never looked like they had shot to pull off an upset.

The Nittany Lions sprinted out to a 4-1 lead after two powerful kills from outside hitter Caroline Jurevicius. Then Schnitta — the country’s leader in service aces — got going. Maryland had the score tied up and looked destined to get its first lead of the set.

But Penn State outside hitter Camryn Hannah landed a major blow, finding different angles on three straight kills. The Terps clung to a four-point deficit, but the Nittany Lions found another gear, scoring seven of the next eight points. Mruzik notched her second service ace of the set, while adding a kill and two blocks.

Schnitta racked up her second kill of the set trailing 20-11, but it was too little too late. Hannah put Penn State two points away before closing it out with her set-high seventh kill.

“If you’re disciplined and you have good handwork, you can block a bunch of balls,” Hughes said. “If you’re off by a little bit, it’s hard because they’re taking really big swings.”

The second set looked identical to the first, as the Nittany Lions got out to a 3-0 lead. But Maryland had an answer this time. It rallied back to a 7-7 tie, before middle blocker Anastasia Russ and setter Sydney Dowler teamed up for a block, giving the Terps their first lead of the match.

The Terps hung around, responding to any blow Penn State sent their way. Consecutive kills from Dowler gave Maryland a two-point lead, but Hannah matched it with two kills of her own. The score remained tied, this time at 18 apiece.

Pin hitter Katherine Scherer gave the Terps an opportunity with a kill, but outside hitter Sam Csire’s ensuing serve sailed long. Schnitta’s kill led to a Maryland set point. Then, Scherer closed it out, 25-22. A tip just over the heads of Penn State’s blockers sent the crowd wild.

On the back of the noisy atmosphere, Maryland got out to a 4-1 lead in the third set. But the Nittany Lions seized control with seven straight points, and Mruzik recorded two kills.

After a Terps’ timeout, Schnitta gave them a desperately-needed response. Back-to-back kills helped cut Penn State’s lead to two. But three consecutive points from the Nittany Lions moved the score to 13-8. Penn State used this momentum to extend its lead to eight after a service ace from libero Gillian Grimes.

Two kills from Mruzik moved the score to 21-12. The Nittany Lions scored the final four points, coming away with a 25-13 set victory. Defensive specialist Quinn Menger closed it out with two late service aces, while Hannah tallied her 14th kill of the match.

Maryland needed a response in the fourth set to stay in the match. Instead, Penn State pushed out to a 4-2 lead on the heels of two kills for middle blocker Maggie Mendelson. But the Terps responded with five of the next six points, with a service ace from Schnitta and defensive specialist Jonna Spohn.

Then, the Nittany Lions landed a big blow, one that proved fatal. Penn State scored 12 of the next 13 points, moving ahead 17-8. Maryland looked out of sorts, giving away free points. Back-to-back service aces from Csire helped cut the deficit down to five points.

Penn State scored seven of the last nine points, including two late kills from Mruzik. Maryland fell in the final set, 25-15. The Terps struggled to get their offense going in the fourth set, with a 26.1% hitting percentage.

“I thought we weren’t in system as much as we’d like to be,” Hughes said. “We never really got a rhythm. Offensively, it never felt like we were on the same page, missing some sets.”

Three things to know

1. Defense shines in the loss. While the Terps ended up falling in four sets, they made several diving plays that kept rallies alive. Maryland posted 43 digs, led by 13 from libero Lilly Gunter. But it was a tall task slowing Penn State’s electric offense.

2. Ranked woes continue. The Terps have struggled all season against ranked teams. Maryland has picked up just two sets in seven matches against such opponents. No. 2 Nebraska awaits the Terps in their regular-season finale.

3. Season-low in assists. Maryland entered the match with the fourth-fewest assists per set in the Big Ten. But against Penn State, its setters had all sorts of problems. Zoe Huang and Dowler combined for just 26 assists, tying its total against Wisconsin.