Maryland women’s volleyball rolled into their home tournament ready to make a statement, and boy, did they deliver. With four wins already locked, the Terps opened with a straight-set sweep against Seton Hall, marking their second consecutive sweep of the season. If you blinked, you might have missed how quickly they took control, even when things started a little shaky!
Seton Hall Thought They Had a Chance, Then Maryland Said “Nope”
Seton Hall came out swinging in the first set, energized from a tough win against Western Carolina. They grabbed an early 7-3 lead, and for a second, it felt like Maryland had to find some serious groove to stay in it. But freshman Ava Brown stepped up to the service line and sparked a quick two-point burst, immediately closing that gap. Then, graduate student Haley Melby delivered a serve that turned into a clever tap at the net, which Seton Hall fumbled thanks to a miscommunication. Melby wasn’t done, she followed that up with a serving ace that tied the score at 8-all! The momentum shifted hard, and Maryland absolutely capitalized, unleashing a 6-0 scoring run that forced Seton Hall to call a timeout. Pirate freshman Samantha Shelton tried to break the streak with a powerful kill, and a Maryland service error briefly messed with the rhythm, but Duru Gökçen came through with a key kill after a slick misdirection play, pushing the Terps ahead 14-11. Coach Adam Hughes even challenged an ace call, but the Terps lost, narrowing the lead to 14-13. No problem though, Maryland powered to set point at 24-19. A long serve gave Seton Hall a temporary reprieve, but a final service error from the Pirates handed Maryland the 25-21 first-set victory. What a comeback!
Melby’s Hammer Kills and Defensive Walls Take Over
That dominating energy and smart execution from the first set just carried right over. Maryland snatched an early 2-1 lead in the second set, and their presence at the net, especially on defense, was just locked in. Ava Brown delivered a huge block, keeping the Terps in total control. Both teams were struggling with service errors, racking up a combined 12 to that point, but Maryland found their rhythm yet again. Sophomore setter Sara Toth landed a crucial service ace that ignited a 3-0 scoring run, pushing the Terps’ lead to a comfortable 11-5. Coming out of a break, back-to-back kills from Melby and Eva Rohrbach stretched the lead to six points. Seton Hall tried to hang tough, answering with a kill off Brown’s serve, but Melby shut them down immediately with a “hammer kill” that brought up set point at 24-18. She wasn’t playing around, sealing the set victory with her ninth kill of the match. That performance earned her the “Terp of the Week” title, and honestly, she proved why she deserved it!
Brick Walls at the Net and Relentless Pressure
The third set kicked off with a tight battle, and you could feel Seton Hall trying to find their footing and build some early momentum, splitting the first six points. Despite another Maryland service error, the Terps refused to let Seton Hall dictate the pace, quickly pushing their lead to 8-5. Maryland just kept expanding that control, making it 10-5 after a long attack from Seton Hall’s Shelton. Kennedy Horn scored a spike to make it 10-6, but Shelton’s next attack? Ava Brown turned it away at the net with a solid block! Brown wasn’t done, teaming up with Duru Gökçen for another dominant block, showcasing their incredible chemistry and extending the score to 12-6. Man, the Terps are just firing on all cylinders right now, totally capitalizing on every chance. This kind of dominant performance, especially with those back-to-back blocks from Brown and Gökçen, shows exactly why they’re racking up wins. What a showing!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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