It was a Wednesday night frenzy for Maryland volleyball as it rallied behind the fans at the Pavillion with a 3-0 sweep over Delaware State.
It was a back-and-forth battle for both teams at first. Only leading by two points initially, Maryland was able to break open the contest, slowly building momentum and notching consecutive points. Ultimately, it resulted in a 25-11 set win for the Terps.
Senior right-side hitter Ajack Malual was aggressive on Maryland’s set victory, leading the team with six kills,
including the hit that sealed the set. On the defensive side, sophomore middle blocker Duru Gökçen led the Terps with five blocks, keeping her team in the frame.
The Terps got off to a slow start in the second set, dropping three of the first four points. However, with time, they slowly gained their momentum back and were able to trade points back and forth through the middle of the set. Maryland eventually found great opportunities to build a couple of runs throughout the set, scoring 11 of the last 15 points to capture the set win.
Malual was the lead offensive player again for the Terps with a team-leading 19 attack opportunities. She added on four more kills during the second set and led with a .474% hitting percentage and 13.5 points.
The Terps captured the second set by double digits, 25-14.
The third set told a different story. Both teams traded blows, and neither was willing to concede ground, as the score knotted up at 4-4. Though the Terps were able to briefly build a small advantage, Delaware State showed some fight to tie it again at 8-8.
After a small back and forth, the Terps began to roll, going on a 10-0 run. Delaware State responded with a 5-4 run of its own to make things more competitive, but it was already 22-13.
The Hornets tried to spark a small comeback towards the end of the set. However, the lead proved to be insurmountable, as the Terps clinched the third and final set, completing the sweep with a 25-19 victory.
“I think we learned a lot about ourselves that first weekend, although the losses were tough, and we knew that going in,” Williams said. “They were pretty good teams. We competed pretty well.”
Head coach Adam Hughes, who understands the challenges of non-conference play, previewed the team’s mentality ahead of the road game.
“We’re trying to get really good at, ‘what is the challenge of the day? What do they do? How do we adapt? And how do we figure that out again?’” Hughes said.
Three things to know
1. Malual offensive charge. The Tennessee transfer led the Terps offensive attack with 11 kills and five aces while being second in attacking percentage with 40%.
2. Runs were crucial. The Terps were able to build momentum with scoring runs across all sets throughout the game, helping them bolster into today’s victory.
3. North Carolina up next. The Terps improved to 4-2 on the season heading into a two-game road trip. They will take on another 4-2 team in Davidson on Saturday at 3 p.m. and a struggling Wake Forest side on Sunday at 1 p.m.
