Fans at the Stephen M. Schanwald Pavilion were on their feet. Maryland volleyball was steamrolling Delaware State in its first home match of the season, up late in the third set and looking to close things out.
When Delaware State’s Aaliyah Mitchell sailed a spike out the back of Maryland’s court, coach Adam Hughes and the Terps sealed a three-set sweep against the Hornets. Senior Ajack Malual’s continued offensive mastery spearheaded the Terps in their fourth straight win.
“[Malual’s] had a pretty good start for us, and I know that she wants to see herself as a cleaner player.” Hughes said. “She’s had a couple sets in the first couple matches we’ve had where she’s had six or seven kills, which is hard to do.”
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Maryland (4-2) came into its home opener having only lost two sets in its last three matches. The Terps rolled out the same starting lineup they have all year, with the group beginning to develop chemistry and find their footing.
The Terps rapidly took a 15-7 lead before the first media timeout. They dominated on both sides of the ball, eventually cruising to a 25-11 win in the set.
Delaware State (3-4) came into the match with a three-game losing streak, only winning a single set in that span. The Hornets’ woes continued, with their players struggling to keep up with Maryland’s offensive pace.
Malual racked up six kills in the first set, once again leading the charge for the Terps’ offense. Senior Ally Williams jolted the team’s offensive effort with seven digs.
The second set was closer at the outset, with the Terps winning 15-10 at the media timeout. They then went on a 10-4 run that gave them an opportunity to end their first game in front of the home fans with a sweep.
[After a busy offseason, Maryland volleyball aims for rebound season]After a back-and-forth opening to the third set, Maryland quickly went on a 10-0 run to open up a 21-10 lead.
Delaware State’s players gave all they had left. The Hornets scored nine more points, but the deficit proved too large to overcome. Maryland took the third set, 25-19, to complete the sweep.
Malual finished her first home game with 11 kills and five service aces, continuing to show her offensive prowess and further solidifying her position as a team leader.
Williams led the team with 11 digs, once again being a crucial lynchpin for the flow of the Terps’ offense.
“We learned a lot about ourselves that first weekend. Although the losses were tough, they were pretty good teams, and we knew that going in,” Williams said. “We kind of wanted to take how we played against North Carolina into this last weekend and now this upcoming weekend, and just compete hard.”
