Outside hitter Sydney Bryant jumped high and crushed a spike to give Maryland volleyball a one-point edge in the closing points of the opening set against Iowa Saturday. The point was just one of her career-high 24 kills in a single game.
With the Terps down 2-1 in sets, fellow sophomore Eva Rohrbach crushed a ball down the right sideline that a Hawkeye barely touched – giving Maryland the fourth set.
While the Terps ultimately fell in a five-set battle, their sophomore tandem shined.
Coach Adam Hughes said the sophomore class, anchored by Bryant and Rohrbach, gained experience and made a lasting impact last year.
Rohrbach finished with 10 kills on a team-leading .429 hitting percentage. Her last spike was Maryland’s final kill to put the Terps up by one point in the deciding set before Iowa’s comeback.
The middle blocker has been a solidifying force for the Terps since she entered the program last season — she was one of just two players to start all their matches in 2023. She led the team and finished top 10 in the Big Ten with 126 blocks.
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Maryland has needed Rohrbach’s strong defense this year. Her 53 blocks lead the team and her 1.15 blocks per set match her average from last year.
Rohrbach’s mobility and anticipation have drastically improved. She’s averaging 0.45 more digs and 0.36 more kills per set this season.
Her offensive impact was evident during the final two sets against Iowa when she had three kills and a clutch service ace to put the Terps up in the closing set before their eventual loss.
Bryant has improved this season alongside Rohrbach. Her 24 kills against Iowa were the most by any Terp in a single match this year., which included at least two kills in every set.
Bryant notched her kills on an efficient .320 hitting percentage — especially crucial as Maryland’s leading killers, Samantha Schnitta and Sam Csire, struggled to the tune of a .190 and .182 hitting percentage, respectively.
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“I told her in the locker room that she gave us a shot,” Hughes said. “It’s something that she can bank on. She did her best, it’s a shame we weren’t able to get it done.”
Bryant recorded just 64 kills as a freshman. This season, she’s registered five matches with double-digit kills and is averaging 0.45 more kills per set.
Bryant’s positive intensity between matches has facilitated her improvement. That was evident on Sunday with her strong showing after a meager seven-kill, .143-hitting percentage outing in Maryland’s loss to Northwestern on Thursday.
“Yesterday at practice I thought she responded really well,” Hughes said. “She came back today and I think what she’s learning is that to solidify this role that she has as a consistent starter, she’s going to have the ups and downs.”
Maryland faces No. 4 Penn State on Thursday in its first conference road match of the season, still searching for a Big Ten win. The Terps will need similar strong contributions from Rohrbach and Bryant to secure their highest ranked victory in two years.
