Maryland swept Old Dominion in three sets, (25-19, 25-21, 25-17) in its first-ever match against them to kick off the Kristen Dickmann Invitational. 

Defense paved the way at the Wesley A. Brown Field House in Annapolis, Md., as the six-block opening set established the tone. Senior transfer Samantha Schnitta and Anastasia Russ’ block assist sealed the first set. 

The Terps picked up right where they left off, establishing themselves as one of the best defensive teams in the NCAA, leading the NCAA in blocking the last two seasons. 

Maryland finished with 10 blocks. Freshman middle blocker Eva Rohrbach and middle blocker Russ, who transferred from Pittsburgh, led the way with four and five total blocks respectively. 

Eva Rohrbach gave the Terps a huge boost in the opening set. She finished three consecutive rallies with a kill and two blocks, giving Maryland a 7-3 lead. Old Dominion managed to keep it within two points before a 6-1 run gave the Terps a seven-point lead that Old Dominion could not catch.  

Old Dominion struggled to score three consecutive points in the second set while Maryland produced their most efficient scoring set. The Terps delivered 18 kills and hit .441% from the field. Schnitta led the way for Maryland with 11 kills. The Ole Miss transfer added four block assists and one ace.  

Maryland began the third set 3-0 but Old Dominion pulled within one point before a 9-0 run powered by a pair of Russ kills gave the Terps a 16-6 lead which they never looked back from.

Russ finished the day with a .778 hit percentage with seven kills, four block assists, and one solo block. 

Maryland will play the second matchup of the tournament at 2:30 p.m. Saturday against Utah Valley. The game can be streamed on YouTube on the Utah Valley Athletics official YouTube channel.