Seniors were a bright spot during Maryland volleyball’s down campaign in 2024. Sam Csire and Samantha Schnitta each recorded over 100 kills more than the Terps’ next closest player — with the latter setting the program’s single-season ace record.

That roster featured six seniors and two graduate students. This season features just two seniors.

But Maryland’s new group has gelled quickly. The Terps opened conference play with a 7-3 record after losing their first two contests, with their success largely predicated by the team’s collective resolve and the emergence of a new offensive weapon.

“We’ve had multiple coaches say that even though we lost to you, that’s the best we played all season,” coach Adam Hughes said. “When you play somebody like UMBC with a big crowd on the road, I think the challenge is that pressure is going to build … we’re able to find ways to have success.”

Maryland’s toughness has shone through in non-conference play. Whether it be persevering through five-set slogs or being able to rally and shake off deficits, the Terps have pulled out several close wins.

Maryland’s match against Davidson is a prime example of its resilience. The Terps resisted an aggressive Wildcats attack in the fourth set and didn’t let them lead a single time in the fifth.

[Maryland volleyball ends non-conference schedule with a 3-0 sweep of Seton Hall]

Tennessee transfer Ajack Malual led the win with 20 kills. The senior ranks sixth in the Big Ten with 143 kills so far, stepping into the offensive leader role that Schnitta carried last season.

“[Malual is] just this mature, competitive, very calm presence,” Hughes said. “She doesn’t want to get too hyped, she doesn’t get too low.”

The right side hitter’s largest impact has come in late-game situations. Malual has contributed one of the Terps’ last five points in almost all of their wins. She drilled a service ace to seal a win over Coppin State and notched two consecutive kills to beat Seton Hall.

The Terps faced a six-point deficit in the first set against Seton Hall and survived myriad lead changes the rest of the match. Maryland outblocked the Pirates by seven to fuel a straight-sets win.

Despite losing Anastasia Russ, who ranked second on the team in blocks last year, Maryland leads the Big Ten with 120.5 blocks. Eva Rohrbach led the Terps in blocks last year with just over one per set — a mark that’s jumped to 1.38 this season.

[Maryland volleyball’s defensive growth has keyed a strong start]

Hughes recognized the inexperience of his roster and implemented a 12-month model to help get the new players up to speed.

“I think we looked at, hey, what are the absolute things that are non-negotiables for us, and how do we lean into that earlier and faster?” Hughes said. “We really did have 14 or 13 of our 15 athletes here early on, and so we began that journey a lot quicker. I feel like the group has done a really good job.”

With Malual leading a roster that’s getting more comfortable playing alongside each other, the Terps enter Big Ten play with expectations to bounce back from a season ago — in which they went just 5-15 in conference play.