By: Sammi Silber

The Maryland Terrapins are 2-0 to start their 2016 campaign, taking down the Delaware State Hornets 3-0 on Saturday morning at XFINITY Center. The Terps won with set scores of 25-14, 25-12 and 25-5.

 The first set of the game, however, didn’t have the same momentum to it as the moments that followed. Delaware State took an early 4-1 lead, but the Terps rallied back to tie the game at 6-6. From there, they continued to power over the Hornets, thanks to their opponent’s errors, as well as kills from Ashlyn MacGregor and Hailey Murray.

After starting the second set tied 2-2, the Terps took over, going on a 13-3 run. Gia Milana provided most of the power, including three straight aces. Though the Hornets tried to fight back, MacGregor fought them off, and impressive play by Murray helped the Terps to their second straight win.

When it came to the third set, Maryland took over to make the clean sweep. They started off with a 12-0 run, and two aces from Kelsey Wicinski helped the Terps continue their strong run, and eventually led them to match point. Maryland took the sweep after Delaware State made an attack error.

Murray was by far the Terps’ standout player of the game, posting a .538 hitting percentage and finished with three blocks and a team-leading total of eight kills (tied with Milana).

While Murray proved impressive, many of the Terps stood out. MacGregor’s five blocks and four kills ultimately helped the Terps dominate the Hornets. Wicinski posted 12 digs and three aces, and Milana finished with four aces to go with her eight kills and seven digs.

In the end, Maryland seemed to improve from their season debut against Eastern Michigan. The team put up nine blocks compared to the three they put up Friday, and also managed 10 aces and 32 kills.

The Terps will square off against Sacred Heart Saturday at 7 p.m. to finish the Maryland Invite.