The Terps are 1-11 in conference play this year.
Ahead 23-22 late in the third set against Indiana, Maryland volleyball sat in a two-set deficit and looked to push the match to a fourth set.
Instead, Maryland collapsed, losing the final three points en route to a 25-23 set defeat. Pin hitter Samantha Schnitta hit a serve that sailed long before, on match point, outside hitter Sam Csire buried the ball in the net on a kill attempt.
The Terps moved to 1-11 in Big Ten play after falling to Indiana in straight sets, marking their worst start to conference play in program history. Maryland has been swept seven times in its conference matches.
In the midst of an eight-game losing streak, the Terps’ issues late in sets (20 points or later) have been on full display. While Maryland has been within two points late in 13 sets during this stretch, it has only pulled off one set victory. The Terps have blown late leads in six of these sets.
“We find ourselves consistently within two points, that’s been the situation,” head coach Adam Hughes said. “We have got to find ourselves in it again and figure out how we can capitalize on it.”
The biggest issue in those late-set collapses stems from Maryland’s susceptibility to big runs. Opponents’ scoring spurts have often put sets out of reach, eliminating any hope for the Terps.
“We’ve watched a lot of film on ourselves and said that there’s been four- or five-point runs that put us in the situation where we are playing catch up to get to 20,” Hughes said. “For us, it is more about habits.”
But injuries have taken a toll on the team’s season as well.
Last week, outside hitter Sydney Bryant got injured during practice and has been ruled out for the rest of the season, a big blow to an already depleted roster. Bryant, who has the third most kills on the team, had been a bright spot for the Terps this year.
A top-150 recruit in the class of 2023, according to Prep Volleyball, Bryant was in the midst of a breakout sophomore campaign. After appearing in just 16 matches last season, she moved into the starting lineup midway through this year, and she certainly made the most of it. Bryant averaged 0.5 more kills per set and almost tripled last season’s production.
“[Bryant] had an injury on Tuesday or Wednesday at practice, and we weren’t sure what we were going to look like,” Hughes said Friday. “The group had about 60-75 minutes of practice to test out a new lineup.”
Bryant is now the fourth injured player on the roster, leaving Hughes with just one healthy outside hitter off the bench.
“We have three pin hitters, so those three have to play in some sort of combination,” Hughes said. “We moved Schnitta over to the left side to see if we could get [Katherine Scherer] to play on the right side.
Outside hitters Skylar Gerhardt and Laila Ivey will not appear in any matches this season, while outside hitter Erin Morrissey is hoping to return.
“[Gerhardt] got hurt in preseason and has been out all season,” Hughes said. “[Ivey] had surgery in August and is out for the year. … We have [Morrissey], who is still trying to return to form. She had surgery in January and still isn’t cleared to play.”
Earlier in the year, middle blocker Anastasia Russ hurt her ankle in a nonconference match against UCF, forcing her to miss two games.
The Big Ten is the most loaded conference in the nation, leaving little room for error, or injury. Eleven teams in the conference are projected to make the NCAA Tournament and another two teams are just outside the bracket.
“I’ve been in the Big Ten for a long time, and I’ve never been in a scenario where seven of eight games are against tournament teams,” Hughes said. “It is one of those challenges that we’re seeing now that we’re going to have to figure out.”
In a conference without any easy matches, depth is crucial, and Maryland’s four injuries have shortened its bench. Despite this, the Terps have been in striking distance in all their matches, but late-set struggles have cost them the chance to come away with more wins.