With its two veteran point producers sidelined, Maryland volleyball had to look for new routes to score.
Freshmen outside hitters Brooklynne Brass and Marlee Sivak rose to the occasion and combined for 21 kills to lead Maryland’s offensive masterclass in a straight-set victory over the Old Dominion Monarchs.
The Terps secured a decisive win, their eighth successive straight-set victory of the season. Maryland has now won 27 straight sets as it heads into the conference slate and will look to keep up
its offensive dominance against Big Ten opponents.
Maryland and Old Dominion traded blows early in the set, with neither team able to establish separation. After falling behind 5-3, the Terps battled back with a three-point run to take a lead. The Monarchs then answered with two straight points. The teams continued to exchange points from there, with the Terps eventually taking a two-point lead behind two kills from Brass.
Two blocks from Ava Brown and Duru Gökçen put the Terps at 15 at the first media timeout. Old Dominion came out fierce, icing the Terps from the quick break. Monarchs first-year outside hitter Leilani Lawrence put forth a dominant service stint with three consecutive aces that ignited an unanswered five-point run to tie the set.
The Terps did not let this run go unanswered. Two errors by the Monarchs, alongside two kills by Sivak, allowed the Terps to slip away from the deadlock and create a four-point cushion. Old Dominion head coach Fred Chao wanted to close the gap as he did earlier in the set by regrouping with a timeout, but his efforts fell short this time around. Brown closed the curtains on the first set with a kill assisted by Sara Toth and a rejection of Lawrence’s attack. Maryland took the first set, 25-19.
Toth got things started in the second frame with an ace, but Maryland couldn’t maintain serve control as Monarch Ashlyn Gent set Weronika Urbanska for a kill. The Terps and the Monarchs traded blows again until Brass and Sivak logged back-to-back kills to create separation that Maryland built on for the rest of the set. Toth set Eva Rohrbach, Brass, and Gökçen for kills before earning an ace herself to give Maryland a 14-8 lead.
The Monarchs found their deficit increasing as the set went on.Maryland tallied up points from mishits, and Toth continued to facilitate a relentless offense. The setter for Maryland registered a kill and set Brass up to secure the second set, 25-14.
Maryland’s eighth sweep in a row didn’t come without a hassle. In the third set, Lawrence continued to be a tenacious offensive force for the Monarchs, logging the first kill of the frame. Neither the Terps nor the Monarchs could keep advantage for an extended period. Old Dominion started strong as it did in previous sets, withstanding any pushes for momentum from the Terps. However, the third set eventually took the path of its predecessors, with four errors from the Monarchs and one kill from Lawrence spoon-feeding Maryland an attackless 4-1 run that laid out a cushion for the Terps to rest at 11-8.
The Terps failed to break away from the Monarchs but maintained their lead through back-and-forth kills. Brass earned her season-high 11th kill of the match, followed by an Old Dominion error that increased the margin. Errors continued to plague the Monarchs’ attempt at a turnaround, and the Terps proceeded with their persistent attacks to close out the set. Sivak’s season-high 10th kill of the match gave Maryland set point, and a mishit from Lawrence crowned the Terps winners of the third frame, 25-18.
Three things to know
1. Offensive efficiency. The Terps outhit Old Dominion .481 to .200. Maryland’s offense has been extremely efficient and is a major factor in their streak. Toth must continue to play-make at a high level and work out any kinks if Maryland wants to compete in the Big Ten this year.
2. Haley Melby’s absence. Melby was injured late in the Campbell game. She was on the bench in the match against East Carolina Friday and sat out again in Saturday’s competition. With Big Ten play approaching and no public timeline for her return, the Terps may enter conference matches with a major loss of offensive production.
3. Offensive depth. With Sydney Bryant absent for this match alongside Melby, Brass and Sivak combined for 21 kills. If Adam Hughes can rely on his freshmen outside hitters to take some of the scoring load off his veterans against real competitors, Maryland’s offensive depth can be dangerous in late-game situations.
