STATE COLLEGE, PA – Maryland volleyball was defeated by No. 3 Penn State, 3-1, (25-22, 20-25, 23-25, 16-25) on Thursday at Rec Hall. The Terps are 9-5 overall and 0-3 in Big Ten games on the season.

The Terps stole set one despite falling behind early with a 9-1 run midway through the set and another 5-0 run. They held the Nittany Lions to a .053 batting average. Samantha Schnitta tallied seven kills and Lilly Günter provided eight digs during the set.

Terps lead early 👀@TerpsVolleyball wins set one against No. 3 Penn State.#B1GVolleyball To @BigTenNetwork 📺 pic.twitter.com/4Eyxc7DEG5

— Big Ten Volleyball (@B1GVolleyball) October 3, 2024

However, despite the Terps’ fight, the Nittany Lions won the next three sets en route to victory. Maryland dropped the third set despite outscoring Penn State .306 to .273.

Schnitta helped lead the Terps 19 kills, three digs, three aces and three blocks. She now has 47 service aces this season, ranking first in the NCAA. Sam Csire posted 11 kills and 13 digs for her 18th career double-double and second of the season.

Samantha keeps us going after the break! pic.twitter.com/FOWB2v3MwI

— Maryland Volleyball (@TerpsVolleyball) October 3, 2024

Sydney Bryant (12 kills, two digs and four blocks) ensured a strong performance. Sydney Dowler posted a season-high 38 assists and Gunter recorded a team-high 19 digs.

Penn State went 13-1 overall and 3-0 in the conference.

Breaking down the action

Set 1: Maryland 25 – Penn State 22

• Samantha Schnitta And Anastasia Russ dominated the opening point with a block. The Terps started 1-0.
• Maryland had a side out after a 3-7 timeout Adam Hughes.
• A midrange kill from Russ brought Maryland within one point at 11-12.
• Sam Csirewith a helping set for Schnitta, followed by an ace from Lilly GünterMaryland had a five-point run to make it 16-13
• Sydney Dowler And Eva Rohrbach with a block to maintain the Terps’ lead at 22-18
• An attack error by Penn State ended set one; Maryland won 25-22

I love this energy of @sydneydowler_! pic.twitter.com/OlqDrDtN3x

— Maryland Volleyball (@TerpsVolleyball) October 3, 2024

Set 2: Penn State 25 – Maryland 20

• Rohrbach won a joust at the net and opened the second set 2-1.
• A perfect serve from Gunter led to a kill from Csire, leveling the score at 8-8.
• Schnitta with her tenth kill of the game at 14-16.
• A kill from Csire keeps Maryland alive 20-24
• Maryland lost the second set 20-25 after a tough fight.

Set 3: Penn State 25 – Maryland 23

• Back-to-back kills for Maryland by Bryant and Schnitta started the third set 2-0.
• Bryant recorded her eighth kill of the game and the Terps led 7-4.
• Dowler with a setter dump at 13-12 to keep Maryland’s lead.
• With the score at 18:16, Schnitta scored a huge kill from the back row.
• Dowler and Rohrbach with a stuff block against the Nittany Lions at 23-24.
• Maryland loses set three after another close battle against Penn State

SOLO BLOCK ‼️

Samantha gets her second block of the evening pic.twitter.com/bcOXsGiQ8t

— Maryland Volleyball (@TerpsVolleyball) October 3, 2024

Set 4: Penn State 25 – Maryland 16

• The Terps started slowly, but Schnitta made another attack in the back row and fell 4-2.
• Schnitta recorded another kill at 8-11.
• Csire with her 11th kill of the game and a side out at 14-21.
• Maryland lost the fourth set to Penn State 25-16.

Numbers you should know

• 4: Sydney Dowler ranks fourth all-time in assists for Maryland. She has that now 3615 assists.
• 7: Entering the competition, the Terps ranked seventh in the NCAA in aces per set.
• 7: Sydney Bryant had 10 or more kills for the seventh time in her career, including six this season.
• 8: Sam Csire is 8th in program history with 1310 career kills.
• 18: Csire recorded the 18th double-double of her career, including her second of the season.
• 38: Dowler posted a season-high 38 assists.
• 45: Samantha Schnitta has 45 career games with 10 or more kills as a Terp, including 11 this season.
• 47: Schnitta hit three service aces in the match, bringing her total to 47 this season, tied for first in the NCAA.
• 68: Csire has played 68 games with 10 or more kills in her career.
• 96: Lilly Gunter has 96 career games with 10 or more digs.

Next

• Maryland plays Rutgers on October 5 at the XFINITY Center Pavilion. The game begins at 7 p.m. and will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus.