Maryland volleyball couldn’t have asked for a much worse start, dropping its first two matches of the season. If the Terps fell to 0-3, in a critical year for coach Adam Hughes, the season’s trajectory would have been in jeopardy.
But the Terps rebounded with a three-set sweep against Old Dominion on the first day of the UMBC tournament. It was Maryland’s first win of the season and an emphatic reminder that Hughes added plenty of talent in the offseason.
Maryland (1-2) started the same lineup from their opening weekend, expressing confidence in the production from its veterans and transfer additions. But the Terps fell behind 6-2 in the early portion of the first set, as they continued the trends of slow starts.
But the Terps quickly regrouped and eventually took an 11-9 lead, forcing an Old Dominion timeout. The Monarchs (0-5) has had a similarly sluggish beginning to its campaign, failing to win more than one set in any of their matches thus far.
[Maryland volleyball starts season with losses to Coastal Carolina, North Carolina]
The set continued as a close contest, with both teams making mini-runs. Eventually the Monarchs tied the set at 22, forcing Hughes to call his first timeout.
Disaster struck for Old Dominion when Bryanna Jones committed two straight errors, giving match point to the Terps. Another Monarchs error gave the set to Maryland, 25-23.
The second set remained tied at nine apiece until Maryland took control with a 9-2 scoring run and forced another Old Dominion timeout. The stoppage didn’t help the Monarchs as the Terps cruised to a 25-16 win.
The deciding point came via a service ace from senior Ajack Malual. She also recorded three kills in the set. Junior Haley Melby and redshirt sophomore outside hitter Olivia Ruy also logged three kills, once again showing the value of Hughes’ transfer additions to the program.
On the precipice of their first win of the year, the Terps built a 15-11 lead into the first media timeout. Malual continued her strong showing, scoring two consecutive service aces. She finished the match with eight kills and three service aces.
Old Dominion finally gained some momentum late in the set, going on a 8-2 scoring run to take the advantage and forced another Hughes timeout.
The two teams fought to a tie at 23 points apiece. Melby was key with two kills in this stretch. She finished the match with a team-leading nine kills and five digs.
But it wasn’t Maryland’s players that ended the game. The Monarchs committed consecutive errors with the game tied at 23-23, sealing the Terps first win of the season.
