UMBC

Junior Ali Goc

BALTIMORE – The UMBC volleyball team opens the second half of its America East slate this Friday as the Retrievers host Binghamton at the RAC, beginning at 7 p.m.

The match will feature as UMBC’s Dig Pink contest this season as the Retrievers are raising money for the Side-Out Foundation.  To help the team achieve its goal and read why the cause is of importance, log-on to the Side-Out Foundation’s website.

Scouting the Retrievers

In its only match last week, UMBC defeated Stony Brook in straight sets at home to improve to 10-13 overall and 3-3 in conference play.  Sophomore Hannah Schmidt (Catonsville, Md./Mount de Sales) put away 11 kills and picked up 12 digs to record her team-leading eighth double-double of the season while junior Emily Vandegrift (Leesburg, Va./Loudoun County) was also in double figures with ten winners.  Senior Ali Loynachan (Whitby, Ontario/Sinclair) was also a factor for the Retrievers, barely missing a double-double with nine kills and nine digs.

Despite not playing since the team’s sweep at Hartford on Oct. 5, freshman Sherelle Walker (New Freedom, Pa./Susquehannock) still leads the team in hitting and ranks sixth and seventh, respectively, in kills (3.05 per set)and hitting percentage (.243) in the America East.  Schmidt meanwhile is second on the team in both kills and digs, recording 216 of each this season.

After an early season injury, setter Mallory McIntyre (Winnipeg, Manitoba/St. Mary’s Academy) has come on strong for the Retrievers.  The junior has recorded three double-doubles this season and currently ranks fourth in the conference averaging 8.89 assists per set.

On the back line, both junior Ali Goc (Oshawa, Ontario/R.S. McLaughlin) and Loynachan sit in the top-10 in the conference in digs.  Goc has recorded a team-leading 293 this season and and 916 for her career, leaving her just six shy of breaking into the school’s all-time top-10 for career digs.  Since returning from an injury, Loynachan has provided stability on the court for the Retrievers and is averaging 2.61 digs per set.

Scouting the Bearcats

Binghamton has had the week off after improving to 7-15 overall and 4-2 in America East play by downing Stony Brook at home in five sets last Friday.  The Bearcats are 3-1 at home this season, but just 3-6 on the road and lost their only other match in The Old Line State this season, falling to Maryland in three sets back in September.

Kristin Hovie led all hitters with 21 kills against the Seawolves while Iva Partaleva was right behind her with 18 put-aways.  Binghamton received a strong defense performance as well versus Stony Brook with Xiomara Ortiz and Amanda Dettman each recording double-digit digs.

For the season, both Partaleva and Hovie rank in the conference top-10 in kills per set while Ortiz is third in digs, averaging 4.43 per set.  Dettmann currently sits in second in the league with a 9.65 assists per set average.

All-Time Series

Binghamton leads the all-time series with UMBC 14-9 after sweeping the Retrievers in Vestal, N.Y. back on Sept. 21.  Prior to that match, UMBC had won five straight and six of the last seven against the Bearcats.  Binghamton last defeated UMBC in back-to-back meetings in 2008 when the Bearcats won all three contests, extending its streak to five straight victories in the series.

In the first meeting in 2012, Hovie notched a match-high 16 kills for the hosts as Dettmann spread around the offense, handing out 41 assists.  Schmidt was the only Retriever in double figures, putting away 11 kills while junior Hallie Carter (Huntington Beach, Calif./Edison) scooped up a team-best eight digs.

Retriever Stat Pack

Season Highs:

Double-Doubles: