Maryland Volleyball Sweeps Princeton for Fifth Straight Victory

Maryland volleyball continued its early-season surge with another dominant performance, sweeping Princeton, 25-17, 25-15, 25-20, on Sept. 12 at the Stephen M. Schanwald Pavilion in College Park.

Sydney Bryant powered the Maryland offense with a match-high 14 kills, while Haley Melby added nine and Duru Gökçen finished with seven. Maryland hit .374 as a team and overwhelmed Princeton at the net, finishing with a 10-3 advantage in blocks as the Terrapins improved to 6-1.

The victory extended Maryland’s winning streak to five matches and gave the Terps four consecutive sweeps for the first time since 2023. Maryland also improved to 4-0 at home and 17-3 all-time against Princeton.

Maryland jumps on Princeton early

Maryland established control almost immediately in the opening set.

Brooklynne Brass recorded Maryland’s first service ace, and the Terps raced out to a 10-3 advantage. Princeton struggled to slow Maryland’s balanced attack, while Melby added an ace during another 4-0 Maryland run.

Gökçen eventually extended Maryland’s advantage to 19-9 with a kill. Melby later recorded her second ace of the set to move Maryland within two points of taking the opener.

Princeton attempted to cut into the deficit behind Erin McNair and Sarah Hom, who each recorded three first-set kills. The Tigers could not generate enough sustained offense, however, and Maryland closed out a comfortable 25-17 victory.

Maryland finished the opening set with 15 kills and only four attack errors on 38 attempts, good for a .289 hitting percentage. Princeton managed nine kills with five errors and hit just .121.

That eight-point victory gave Maryland the early advantage, but the Terps were even better in the second.

Terps dominate second set

Princeton briefly took a 2-1 lead to open the second set, but that advantage disappeared quickly.

Back-to-back kills from Eva Rohrbach and Melby helped Maryland move ahead 6-3. Raina Chwialkowski later delivered a service ace to extend Maryland’s advantage to 11-7.

Maryland then began pulling away.

The Terps led 15-9 at the media timeout and eventually doubled Princeton at 18-9. Princeton responded with three consecutive points, but Maryland immediately answered with three of its own and pushed the advantage to 21-12.

Bryant delivered Maryland’s 20th point of the set with another kill, and Melby eventually finished the set with a kill of her own.

Maryland won it 25-15.

The numbers from the second set demonstrated just how efficiently the Terps were playing. Maryland recorded 17 kills against only two attack errors on 30 attempts for an outstanding .500 hitting percentage. Princeton finished with nine kills, four errors and a .172 percentage.

Maryland was now one set away from its fourth consecutive sweep.

Another big run puts Maryland in control

Princeton attempted to change the direction of the match in the third set.

Taylor Clarke recorded the first kill to give Princeton a 1-0 advantage, and Shelby Burriss later put the Tigers ahead 3-2. Maryland’s response effectively ended Princeton’s hopes of extending the match.

The Terps exploded for an 8-1 run that included five consecutive points and suddenly held a 10-4 advantage.

Princeton showed some fight and used a Sydney Bold service ace to cut Maryland’s advantage to 13-10. Maryland still held a 15-11 lead at the media timeout before reestablishing control.

Bryant delivered another important kill to put Maryland ahead 21-14. Princeton continued competing and made the third set Maryland’s closest of the evening, but the Tigers never produced the extended run necessary to erase the deficit.

Maryland closed out the set, 25-20, completing the three-set sweep.

The Terps hit .348 in the final set with 12 kills and four errors on only 23 attacks. Princeton had its most productive offensive set with 12 kills, but nine attack errors dropped the Tigers to an .086 hitting percentage.

Bryant leads Maryland attack

Bryant was Maryland’s top offensive weapon throughout the match.

She recorded 14 kills to lead all Maryland players and helped the Terps finish with 44 kills compared with Princeton’s 30. Melby added nine kills, while Gökçen contributed seven.

Maryland’s offensive efficiency was particularly impressive. The Terps committed only 10 attack errors on 91 attempts, producing their .374 hitting percentage. Princeton committed 18 errors on 97 attempts and finished at .124.

The difference was significant in every set.

Maryland hit .289 in the first, .500 in the second and .348 in the third. Princeton never reached .200 in any set, hitting .121, .172 and .086.

Setter Sara Toth played a major role in Maryland’s offensive success, finishing with 39 assists. Maryland recorded 44 assists overall, meaning Toth accounted for nearly all of the Terps’ primary setting production.

Maryland’s ability to spread the ball around also made life difficult for Princeton’s defense. The Tigers could not simply focus on Bryant because Melby, Gökçen and Maryland’s middle attack remained dangerous throughout the match.

Rohrbach leads dominant blocking performance

Maryland did not win solely because of its offense.

The Terps dominated Princeton at the net, finishing with 10 total blocks compared with only three for the Tigers.

Rohrbach led the way with seven blocks. Ava Brown added four, while Toth contributed three.

That front-line defense helped hold Princeton to a .124 hitting percentage and forced the Tigers into 18 attack errors. Maryland, by comparison, committed only 10.

The blocking performance was particularly important because Princeton entered the evening after playing a five-set match against Seton Hall earlier in the day. McNair had produced 22 kills in that victory, but Maryland limited Princeton’s leading attacker to 12 kills in the nightcap.

McNair still led the Tigers offensively, but Maryland prevented the rest of Princeton’s attack from consistently complementing her production. Ashtyn Sims and Hom were next with five kills apiece.

Maryland’s ability to control the net turned several Princeton attacks into immediate Terps points while also forcing the Tigers to alter shots to avoid the block.

Maryland wins virtually every statistical category

The final box score illustrated Maryland’s control of the match.

The Terps finished with 58 points compared with Princeton’s 36. Maryland held advantages of 44-30 in kills, 4-3 in service aces, 10-3 in blocks, 44-29 in assists and 41-33 in digs.

Maryland also hit .374 compared with Princeton’s .124.

Melby recorded two of Maryland’s four service aces. Chwialkowski and Brass each added one. Princeton received one ace apiece from Bold, Hom and Natalie Surges.

Toth’s 39 assists easily led the match. Princeton setter Sydney Draper finished with 24 assists, while Bold added five.

Maryland’s advantage extended defensively as well. The Terps collected 41 digs, eight more than Princeton.

Those numbers reflected a complete performance rather than a match decided by one dominant individual category. Maryland was more efficient offensively, stronger at the net and more productive defensively.

Winning streak reaches five

The Princeton victory continued a major turnaround following Maryland’s only loss of the season.

Maryland opened 2026 with a three-set victory at Howard before suffering a 3-0 loss at Vanderbilt on Sept. 1. The Terps immediately responded by defeating Arkansas in four sets and then swept UMES, George Mason and Seton Hall.

Princeton became the fourth consecutive opponent Maryland defeated without dropping a set.

The five-match winning streak also gave Maryland consecutive seasons with at least one five-match winning streak. More notably, the four straight sweeps marked Maryland’s first such run since 2023.

The 6-1 start was Maryland’s best record through seven matches since the 2021 team opened the season 13-0.

Maryland was also perfect through its first four home matches for the second time in three seasons.

Terps continue success against Princeton

Saturday marked the 20th meeting between Maryland and Princeton.

The Terps improved to 17-3 in the all-time series, continuing their historical advantage against the Tigers.

Princeton entered the Maryland match after an emotional five-set victory over Seton Hall earlier Saturday. The Tigers rallied from a 2-1 deficit and survived a 27-25 fourth set before taking the fifth, 15-10.

That match required Princeton to expend considerable energy before facing a Maryland team that had already demonstrated considerable offensive efficiency during its winning streak.

The Terps never allowed Princeton to settle into the nightcap.

Maryland established large early advantages in each of the first two sets and then responded immediately when Princeton briefly led in the third. The Tigers never won a set and never seriously threatened Maryland once the Terps built their leads.

Maryland’s offense continues to develop

The .374 performance against Princeton was part of an impressive offensive opening to Maryland’s season.

Through its first seven matches, Maryland had hit .300 or better four times. The Terps hit .434 against Howard, .319 against UMES, .400 against George Mason and .374 against Princeton.

Maryland’s offensive consistency was especially noticeable during the winning streak.

The Terps hit .285 in the four-set victory over Arkansas, .319 against UMES, .400 against George Mason, .298 against Seton Hall and .374 against Princeton.

The Terps were also reducing mistakes.

Against Princeton, Maryland committed only 10 attack errors in 91 attempts. Princeton had nearly twice as many with 18.

Combine that efficiency with Maryland’s blocking ability, and opponents had very little margin for error.

Up next

Maryland remained home to finish the Maryland Tournament against Saint Peter’s on Sept. 13 at the Stephen M. Schanwald Pavilion.

The Terps ultimately carried their momentum into that match as well, sweeping Saint Peter’s to extend their run to five consecutive sweeps. Maryland then continued winning against Campbell, East Carolina and Old Dominion.

The Princeton match therefore became another important step during what developed into a lengthy September winning streak.

MSB Take

Maryland did not simply beat Princeton. The Terps controlled nearly every phase of the match.

Bryant gave Maryland a reliable finisher with 14 kills, but the balance around her was equally important. Melby and Gökçen provided additional offense, Toth distributed the ball effectively with 39 assists and Rohrbach led a Maryland front line that dominated the Tigers with 10 team blocks.

The second set may have been the clearest indication of how well Maryland was playing. The Terps produced 17 kills with only two errors and hit .500, leaving Princeton with almost no opportunity to keep pace.

Maryland’s ability to respond to adversity also continued to stand out. The Terps lost at Vanderbilt early in September but did not allow that defeat to linger. By the end of the Princeton match, Maryland had won five straight and swept four consecutive opponents.

A 6-1 start, a .374 hitting performance and another straight-set victory gave Maryland plenty to build on. The Terps were playing efficient, aggressive volleyball, and against Princeton, that combination resulted in another convincing win.