Maryland volleyball wanted to set the tone early in College Park on Friday. Pin hitter Samantha Schnitta did just that.
On the first point of the match, the graduate student drilled one deep across the court that Lehigh could barely touch. With little control, the ball sailed behind the court as Maryland roared in excitement. That was indicative of what was to come.
The Terps, off an undefeated weekend in the Maryland tournament, continued their momentum in a straight set win over Lehigh in College Park.
The opening set was knotted at nine when middle blocker Anastasia Russ hit a line drive down the center to give Maryland a one-point edge. The graduate student entered Friday second on the team with 26 blocks for the season.
“Today I definitely felt really confident with the setters and we’ve been working a lot in practice to strengthen those connections,” Russ said. “Trying to give them confidence that they can find us in transition and off of the first fall.”
Schnitta, off an assist by setter Zoe Huang, added her fourth kill of the match to give the Terps a 15-13 lead. Huang finished with a game-high 24 assists in her return to the starting lineup for Maryland.
“Last weekend [there were] a couple of matchups where we weren’t able to pass as well, which forces Zoe to be on the run which probably isn’t her strength,” coach Adam Hughes said. “But if we’re passing well, and she’s dishing and she’s hard to read, she’s really good at locating.”
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Lehigh senior Emily Stewart and sophomore Alysia Fingall blocked Schnitta with the Terps up 23-21 in the first set. Lehigh’s bench erupted as Maryland rapidly called timeout with the momentum shifting.
But Maryland responded.
A shot that sailed long by Fingall created a set point for Maryland. Fingall cost her team as she drilled one straight into the net, giving the Terps the opening set, 25-22.
Three consecutive kills by Madison McCartney gave the Mountain Hawks an early 4-0 lead in the second set. They jumped out to a 5-1 lead before the Terps began to mount a comeback.
“I thought about calling a timeout, honestly. One of the things I’m trying to use my timeouts for this year is stopping runs,” Hughes said. “It probably just went back to looking at body language. I thought the team was still in it, pretty focused and I wasn’t concerned.”
Back-to-back kills by Schnitta got them within one. A few points later, Lehigh sophomore Jaidyn Garcia clobbered one into the net, evening things at seven.
Maryland kept its tenacity throughout, eventually taking an 11-8 lead on a ball handling error by Lehigh. The visitors quickly called timeout, but the momentum had clearly shifted.
“We have a fun vibe together,” Russ said. “We’re always smiling and laughing, and we kind of bring our locker room energy into the game.”
An ace by McCartney narrowed the Maryland lead to 15-13. Then, Schnitta crushed another kill to halt the mini-run by Lehigh. Schnitta finished with a game-high 14 kills Friday.
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Sam Csire, second on the team with 63 kills going in, compiled back-to-back ones of her own to put Maryland up 21-16. The Mountain Hawks called timeout as they desperately searched to avoid a dreaded 2-0 set deficit.
But Csire struck again, blasting one across the court to set up a set point for Maryland. Schnitta took advantage with her 10th kill of the match, giving Maryland the second set 25-17.
Maryland raced out to an 8-5 lead in the third off an electric spike down the left sideline by Eva Rohrbach. The middle blocker added to her team-lead of 32 blocks with three against the Mountain Hawks.
Lehigh didn’t go down without a fight. An ace by McCartney, which landed between multiple Terps, tied things up at 10. Schnitta continued her dominance in the third, rocketing an ace to give Maryland a 15-11 lead and force a Lehigh timeout.
An error by Natalie Luscomb, Lehigh’s leader in kills this season, gave the Terps a 20-16 advantage. The Mountain Hawks called timeout with the end seemingly in sight for the Terps.
Maryland finished the set on its first opportunity as Garcia destroyed one straight into the net to doom Lehigh, ending things at 25-19.
