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.

Parker Robinson came in at No. 70 overall in the recent 2026 On3 150 ranking update. The 6-foot-4 shooting guard averaged 16.8 points while scoring 1.014 points per possession for his Team Melo team on Nike’s E16 Circuit. He transferred this offseason to Atlanta (GA) Overtime Elite.

“I’m a high-energy player who shoots the ball at a high level,” Robinson told On3. “Overall, I’m a hard worker and can do a little bit of everything, handle the ball, come off screens, play off ball. Really, just a little bit of everything.”

This summer, Robinson went to Germany with an Adidas Elite group to play in the Adidas Next Generation Tournament. Through the three games, Robinson averaged 20.7 points while shooting 59.1 percent from three.

“Going over for the Adidas Next Generations Tournament, there were other top clubs from across the world like Real Madrid and Barcelona,” Robinson said. “It is a different style of basketball, a lot of off-ball movement and team oriented. A lot of skill and discipline. We finished 2-1. The team we lost to was INSEP Paris who had Nolan Traore, he was nice. Being able to compete against guys I see in mock drafts, it was like an “a-ha” moment for me.”

On3 caught up with four-star Parker Robinson after a recent live viewing to discuss the latest in his recruitment.

Robinson talks recruitment

“RIght now, I have offers from Maryland, Provdience, Illinois, West Virginia, and a few more,” Robinson said. “It started a bit slow for me, and things have just now started to come to light for me and coaches have started to show love.”

MARYLAND: “My mom went to Michigan State and my dad went to Purdue, so we are a Big Ten family. I would always go and watch whenever Michigan State or Purdue would play Maryland. They have great guards every year and they play a lot of defense. My conversations have been good. I grew up in Indiana, but we moved to Maryland, so I’m a local kid and they want me to come in and be the next great local kid to play for them. I talk with a lot of the coaches frequently and I just scheduled an unofficial visit to go over there on October 11. It’ll be good to get on campus and see a football game and the atmosphere.”

ILLINOIS: “They really allow their players to rock out. Like last year, with Terrence Shannon. Seeing players like that, high-energy guys who can fill the basket up, they go in there and they don’t put them in a cage. They allow their guys to play freely and play through mistakes. So a program like that, that let’s me play through my mistakes and grow as a person is definitely essential.”

PROVIDENCE: “I talk a lot with Tim Fuller, an Overtime Elite guy, and then the head coach Kim English. They love the way I play and hav been down to see me play a couple of times. So they have been showing a lot of love early. It’s about continuing to build a relationship. I want to get to campus there soon, obviously they have a great program.”

WEST VIRIGNIA: “I haven’t been in contact with them as much. It is a newer offer, Coach (Chester) Frazier is the one that offered me. We are still getting to know each other and I am excited to watch them play this season.”

In Parker Robinson’s words

“I’ve been hearing a lot from Purdue recently,” Robinson said. “Which is pretty cool for me, like I said my dad went there so he’s been rooting for me heavy to get that offer. Tennessee has been showing a lot of love, same with Clemson, too.

“The biggest thing is the relationship that I have with the coaching staff. I want to play for a coach who believes in me and I want to play for a program that I believe in. I want to go to a school where I think we can make the tournament every year, and win it.

The style of play will be important. I play outside-in a lot, get out in transition, and get easy buckets. I like playing in a system that plays freely and a lot in transition.”

If you watched the Harris-Trump debate in Philadelphia recently, you probably learned more about fracking and suddenly asked yourself, “Fracking in Maryland?”

The answer could be Yes and No!

Fracking, or hydraulic fracturing, is a method for extracting natural gas or oil from shale and other “tight” rock forms.

YES, between 2006 and 2017, fracking was conducted in two Maryland western counties, Garrett and Allegany, under the Marcellus Shale, the second-largest natural gas reservoir in the world.

NO, on April 4, 2017, Gov. Larry Hogan signed a bill to ban fracking in Maryland, the first state with natural gas reserves where a legislature has voted to bar the practice.

Only five states have banned fracking, including Vermont (2012), New York (2020), Maryland (2017), Washington (2019), and California (effective October 2024). The governor’s executive order issued the New York ban, which means a future governor (possibly a Republican) can reverse it.

This guest commentary is brought up to date from my 2020 commentary, “What do Biden’s Fracking Views Mean for Maryland?”

Since Joe Biden became president in 2021, no fracking has impacted Maryland.

Is this nuclear power’s moment in Maryland?

Now, it is a race between Donald Trump (R) and Kamala Harris (D). The Republican candidate has always supported hydraulic fracturing, while the Democratic candidate has always flipped on the fracking issue.

Last week, Harris told a Pittsburgh television station, “That’s where I stand, period. As president of the United States, I will not ban fracking.”

The reason for that is simple: as of July 2, 2024, records of 220,175 drilled and proposed wells exist in Maryland’s neighboring state of Pennsylvania. The Keystone State’s natural gas sector supports around 123,000 jobs.

The top five fracking counties in Pennsylvania are:

1. McKean, with 37,275 wells, where 72.3% of its votes in the 2020 presidential race going to Trump.
2. Warren, with 21,433, and 68.9% for Trump.
3. Venango, with 19,887, and 70% for Trump.
4. Indiana, with 14,565, and 68.2% for Trump.
5. Armstrong, with 11,801, and 75.6% for Trump.

Garrett County voted 77% for Trump, while Allegany County voted 68.5% for Trump.

So, the Harris-Walz campaign team is working hard to reduce the Trump percentage in the fracking counties over the USA.

While campaigning for the seat of Maryland’s 6th Congressional District, which includes Garrett and Allegany counties, April McClain-Delaney (D) and Neil Parrott (R) have yet to mention fracking.

If your ancestors lived in Garrett or Allegany counties, you might have mineral rights, although you know nothing. Supposedly, the Maryland Democratic legislators might exempt these counties from the 2017 law banning fracking statewide. In that case, you might receive a call from a company landman who would negotiate directly with you to acquire leases for the exploration and development of minerals. So I recommend reading “He Said I Was a Fracking Heiress. I Went to West Virginia to Find Out.”

In late 2013, I received an email from my Gorrell cousin, who asked me to prepare to receive an email from a landman. At first, I did not understand what my cousin meant. After contacting the landman, I learned that all of my Gorrell first cousins and I are fracking heirs, although our Gorrell parents never told us, as well as we did not know our great-great-grandfather had bought mineral rights to two Appalachian tracts in late 1890.

A decade later, in 2024, the county where my ancestors lived ranks first among 55 West Virginia counties in gas production.

I have predicted that the Maryland legislature will do nothing if Trump gets re-elected. If Harris wins, the legislature will likely not change unless Garrett and Allegany countians need to improve their economics badly due to more extended wells and advancements in fracking techniques. Also, the legislature will entitle Marylanders who are mineral rights owners and landowners to receive royalties, which will increase Maryland’s revenue. Your vote could make a difference in this crucial decision.

As singer Taylor Swift said, “Your research is all yours to do, and the choice is yours to make.” I encourage you to Google or research “fracking in Maryland” to gain a deeper understanding of this important issue.

If the Maryland ban continues after the election, most mineral rights owners might get tired of being harassed by leasing agents for selling the mineral rights to them.