It was easy pickings for the No. 1 Nebraska Volleyball team in its 2025 conference opener.
Slated for a midweek matchup against an inferior Michigan team, the Huskers wiped the floor with the Wolverines in one of their most impressive all-around nights of the season for NU. In a superb passing performance coupled by aggressive serving (five aces), the Huskers came away with a dominant sweep as Harper Murray (11 kills, .391) and Virginia Adriano (10 kills, .444) each reached double-figures.
Setter Bergen Reilly added to the fun with 28 assists in directing an offense that hit .380 on the night while adding five kills on nine swings along with an ace. Even Andi Jackson and Rebekah Allick had a night to remember with a combined statline of 17 kills on a .538 hitting percentage and a pair of blocks.
With a trip to a fleeting No. 15 Penn State squad awaiting next Friday, Nebraska will need to keep its focus as it prepares to face Maryland for a Saturday afternoon showdown in Lincoln.
Here’s all you need to know as the Huskers host a rebuilding Terrapins squad that comes off getting swept in its own conference opener.
How to Follow Along
Maryland Scout
Head Coach
Adam Hughes | 8th season at Maryland & HC | 109-113 (.491) at Maryland & Career Record | Previous assistant at Maryland, Penn State and UC Irvine.
2024 Finish
Did not qualify for the postseason.
2024 Record & Awards
14-17 (5-15 B1G, 15th) | All-B1G: 1x Second Team.
All-Time Series
Nebraska leads 20-0 (Nov. 30, 2024 last matchup, 3-1 NU)
Returning Production
Points: 34% | Kills: 35% | Service Aces: 22% | Blocks: 35% | Assists: 4% | Digs: 30%
Key Returners
Impact Transfers/Newcomers
Key Departures
Outlook
In what was a senior-laden squad with one of the best servers in the country, Maryland had the talent to fight its way towards the middle point of the Big Ten conference, but the Terrapins regressed from their past seasons with a 14-17 record and 5-15 mark in conference play across the 2024 season.
Maryland lost plenty from the 2024 team, including pin hitter Samantha Schnitta, who was one of the country’s leaders in aces with 88 in her final season. Her team-high 487 points were over 140 more than the next player, which happened to be Sam Csire (341.5), who was also leaving after her fifth college season. Anastasia Russ was an All-Region pick in 2022 and rounded out her final season second on the team in blocks (103) and 107 additional kills.
Head coach Adam Hughes deployed a 6-2 system using both Sydney Dowler and Zoe Huang, but they were also both seniors who departed the program after the season. Finally, starting libero Lilly Gunter graduated after leading the Terrapins with 3.50 digs per set.
Eva Rohrbach was the best returner of the bunch, breaking out as a sophomore to lead the team in blocks, but is on a torrid pace to set new career highs in nearly every major category. Internal replacements have taken most starting roles, including Duru Gökçen, who has developed as the team’s second middle blocker with an impressive 59 blocks in 11 matches. Ally Williams goes from starting DS to libero while redshirt freshman Lilly Wagner runs the offense in a traditional 5-1 with just over eight assists per set.
The Terrapins needed offense, and they added some with Italian native and Tennessee transfer Ajack Malual. She’s been the vocal point for Maryland’s attack with a team-leading 190.5 points (4.43 P/S) while also pacing the program with 151 kills and 22 aces. Haly Melby joins Maryland from Kentucky, where she’s emerged as the team’s top outside hitter. Arkansas transfer Olivia Ruy fills out the attacks as the second outside hitter, while freshman Addie Canady fills in for Williams as the DS.
Malual has been a stellar addition to a team that was desperately looking for offensive production, while Rohrbach and Gökçen are a threat at the net with both middle blockers in the top five in the conference in total blocks. However, it’s arguable that the talent Maryland lost outweighs what they gained over the offseason. Relatively speaking, this roster is thin on top talent to seriously compete in the Big Ten – let alone challenge for the top half. With the Terrapins – picked 16th in the preseason poll – getting swept by Iowa (voted 17th) Thursday night in their conference opener, the hill will be steep in competing with Nebraska Saturday afternoon.
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