The Xfinity Center Pavilion is set to host 8,000 people for the Terps’ senior night.
Maryland volleyball’s match on Saturday against No. 2 Nebraska will recognize its eight seniors in front of the largest crowd in program history, an expected attendance that already exceeds 8,000 people.
The matchup will be the the Terps’ toughest of the season, facing off against a squad with just one loss all season and riding a 25-game winning streak. But it will also allow Maryland to honor its senior class, one that has meant so much to the program.
After finishing the 2019 season with a 13-19 record, the team’s first losing season in three years, Maryland needed to restock through its freshman class. So, it brought in the third-highest-ranked recruiting class in program history.
Five years later, the senior class has rejuvenated a program that struggled to put together consecutive winning seasons. While Maryland has yet to snap its nearly 20-year postseason drought, it has recorded three straight seasons of a 50% win percentage or better for the first time since 2003-05.
“I’m incredibly proud of what they’ve been able to accomplish through those five years,” head coach Adam Hughes said. “It means the world to me that they wanted to come back and do their fifth years here.”
The headliners of that class — outside hitter Sam Csire and setter Sydney Dowler — have certainly left their mark on the program. Csire will finish her career with the third-most kills in program history, while Dowler ends her career with the third-most assists.
Csire made an immediate contribution, starting seven games during her freshman campaign. In the latter three seasons, Csire led the team in kills, recording 1,063 over the stretch.
After playing in just four matchers, Dowler started the last nine contests in her freshman season. From then on, she seized control of the setter position. The two-time Big Ten Player of the Week finished with the sixth and seventh-most assists in the Big Ten over the past two seasons.
“It’s an honor to just be in the top five and be in the Maryland record books,” Dowler said. “I’m really grateful to have left at least somewhat of a mark on Maryland that I hope that they can take through them into the future.”
Along with Csire and Dowler, outside hitter Erin Morrissey is the other player from the class of 2020 who returned for a fifth year. Despite an injury-riddled career in College Park, Morrissey has made the most of her playing time, recording 79 kills last season in 45 sets played.
“That was probably my first real recruiting class when I was fortunate to get the head coaching job,” Hughes said. “They bit on this idea that we had made some progress here at Maryland, but they wanted to see it through and make sure they kept it going.”
Hughes then followed that up with another strong recruiting year, bringing in two key depth pieces.
Middle blocker Ellie Watson — a member of the 2020 Under Armour All-American watch list — has seen a limited offensive role over four years at Maryland. But she has made her impact on the defensive end, tallying three straight double-digit blocking seasons.
The second of two remaining players from that class is setter Zoe Huang, who has had a breakout senior season. After posting 33 assists over her first three seasons, Huang’s vision and passing have been on full display. She has the second-most assists (404) on the team this year.
But Hughes’ plethora of additions have come not only from his freshman classes, but also the transfer portal. And these newcomers have delivered.
Pin hitter Samantha Schnitta has been as good as advertised, emerging as one of the best servers in the country. Coming off a career-high 223 kills last season, Schnitta has demolished those numbers. But the serving department is where she left her imprint. Schnitta has recorded a nation-leading and single-season program record of 81 service aces.
“[Schnitta] took [Sydney Bryant] under her wing,” Hughes said. “Just having that older sister who’s there to support you when you’re having a down day gives you a perspective.”
Middle blocker Anastasia Russ endured a memorable first year with Maryland. Russ posted the third-most blocks in the country (182) during the 2022 season, earning her All-Big Ten second-team honors. And while she hasn’t eclipsed those numbers since, her presence at the net has remained a threat.
The Terps wouldn’t be where they are defensively without libero Lilly Gunter. In her two seasons at Maryland after transferring in, Gunter has been a leader in the back row. She has a team-high 421 and 352 digs in each of the last two seasons, respectively.
“I’m just thankful all of them poured their heart into the program,” Hughes said.
The connection between an outside hitter and a setter is key, and for Csire, Dowler and Huang, that has been there since day one.
“It has grown into a friendship outside of the court,” Csire said. “[Sydney] and I took our official visits here together, so we got to know each other on a personal level early on. We text all the time about little things. [Zoe’s] my roommate, so we watch movies together and all that. That all just builds onto the court and makes it really easy to play with both of them.”
While this year’s senior class may not have finished with their desired record, the chemistry among the players has been evident.
“We’re a pretty tight-knit group,” Dowler said. “We’ve all meshed with different people on the team at different times, which has brought us even closer to the point that we are at now. We can just really appreciate all the memories, all the things we have together, even the transfers that have come in.”
This spark has propelled Maryland to several huge upsets recently. The seniors will be looking to tack on another signature win to their resume, which includes three upsets over top-10-ranked teams: then-No. 2 Wisconsin, then-No. 9 Purdue and then-No. 5 Ohio State.
“My favorite memory I always say is still the Wisconsin win. That was just an electric, turning moment for our team,” Csire said. “Nobody thought we could do that and we did it.”