Terps Volleyball Sweeps Howard To Open 2026 Season

Friday, August 28

Washington, DC

6 PM

Maryland

1-0,0-0Big Ten

Howard

0-1,0-0MEAC

Team	1	2	3	Final F
Maryland	25	25	25	3
Howard	23	14	22	0

Maryland celebrates a kill against Howard

8/28/2026 6:00:00 PM | Volleyball

Box Score Photo Gallery

Maryland changed the momentum of Friday’s match in the first set and cruised to a 3-0 win.

WASHINGTON, DC — Maryland opened the 2026 season with a sweep (25-23, 25-14, 25-22) of Howard on Friday evening. Freshman Ava Brown had a remarkable first collegiate match with a team-high 17 kills, while Haley Melby logged 12, Sydney Bryant tallied nine and Eva Rohrbach pitched in eight. The Terps stayed unbeaten against the Bison and opened the season with a strong sweep on the road.

Trailing in the first frame, Maryland used a timeout to spark a 9-2 run and rally to claim the set win. Brown and Rohrbach combined for nine kills in the set, while the Terps took advantage of six Howard attack errors in the 25-23 win.

Maryland kept the momentum rolling as it jumped out to an 11-5 advantage in the second set. Brown led the way with six kills while Bryant and Melby both tallied five. The Terps hit .600 in their 25-14 set win.

Maryland outlasted Howard in a back-and-forth final set to seal its sweep. Maryland improved to 19-0 all-time against the Bison and recorded its 14th-ever sweep of Howard to start the season 1-0 for the fifth time in the last six years. The Terps hit .434, which would have been their highest mark in a match in 2025.

How it Happened:
Set 1:

Maryland used a Howard attack error to snare the first point of the season.
Melby logged the Terps' first kill of the season.
Another Melby kill gave Maryland its 10th point of the set.
Howard led 15-11 at the media timeout.
Maryland used a 4-0 run to pull within a point and force a Howard timeout.
Back-to-back kills from Brown tied the set at 18-18.
A 5-1 Maryland gave the Terps a 21-19 lead and forced the Bison to use another timeout.
A Howard attack error sealed the Terps' 25-23 set win.

Set 2:

An early 7-1 Maryland run gave the Terps an 11-5 lead.
Kills from Melby and Bryant earned Maryland a 17-11 advantage.
A Duru Gökçen kill gave the Terps a late 20-12 lead.
Maryland rolled to a 25-14 set win.

Set 3:

Elayna Davidson opened the scoring with the Terps' first service ace of the season.
Howard used a 3-0 run to claim a 10-7 lead, but Maryland rallied to lead 11-10.
The Bison led 15-14 at the media timeout.
Melby's 11th kill of the day put the Terps back ahead.
Davidson recorded a second service ace late in the set.
The Terps closed out their sweep with a 25-22 win.

Beating the Bison:

Friday marked the 19th all-time meeting between Maryland and Howard in a series that dates back to 1976.
The Terps are undefeated against the Bison and 4-0 under head coach Adam Hughes.
Maryland has 14 sweeps against Howard, including each of the last three meetings.

Instant Impacts:

Maryland debuted its second-highest ranked freshmen class (No. 16) in program history on Friday.
Each of the six new freshmen saw their first collegiate action against Howard.
Brown led the team with 17 kills.
Davidson had two of Maryland's three aces.
Transfer Sara Toth logged two kills and 46 assists in her first match as a Terp.

Returning Production:

Melby — Maryland's 2025 offensive kills leading returner — logged 12 kills on Friday.
Gökçen, the Terps' block leader in 2025, tallied two blocks against Howard.
Rohrbach and Bryant combined for 17 kills to start the season.

Numbers to Know:

1: Maryland is 1-0 to start the season for the fifth time in the last six years.
1: The Terps won their first non-home contest of the season for the fifth time in the last six seasons.
4: Maryland collected four blocks in the win.
17: Brown had a team-high 17 kills in her first collegiate match.
19: Maryland improved to 19-0 all-time against the Bison with its 14th all-time sweep of Howard.
434: The Terps' .434 hitting percentage would have been its highest mark of last season.

Up Next:

Maryland heads to Nashville, Tennessee, for the Big Ten-SEC Challenge. The Terps will first face Vanderbilt on Sept. 1. The match is set for 8 PM and will air on SECN+.