UMBC

Christine Skala tallied 18 digs Saturday and is four digs from 1,400 for her career.

Albany, N.Y. – The UMBC women’s volleyball team (10-12, 3-3 AE) dropped a 3-1 (30-22, 30-22, 22-30, 30-25) decision to Albany (17-3, AE 4-1) in America East women’s volleyball action on Saturday night.  UMBC challenged the Great Danes winning set three and holding a 25-22 lead in set four before eight unanswered points allowed Albany to take the deciding game.

The Retrievers after falling in the first two sets by identical 30-22 scores, recorded a .297 hitting percentage in the third set to turn the tide with a 30-22 win and close Albany’s advantage to 2-1.

In set four UMBC took a 25-22 lead late but Ashley Green recorded two key kills and a UMBC attack error allowed the Great Danes to tie the score at 25-25. Shelby Goldman added three kills and Ashley Hunter had a service ace fueling the Great Danes eight unanswered points to secure the match. 

Sarah Ball extended her streak of double-digit kills to all 18 matches this season with 11 kills in the match.  Ball added 15 digs for her 10^th double-double of the season.  Megan Gross, who entered the match with four consecutive double-doubles, dished with 35 assists and eight digs while Ashley Hargrove scored nine kills. 

Christine Skala tallied 18 digs and has 380 digs on the year.  With seven matches left in the season Skala is three digs off her single season career high of 383 digs set last year and has 1,396 for her career, needing less than 100 digs to reach the all-time mark of 1,475. 

Goldman tallied 21 kills on 36 attempts with just one error for a season-high .556 hitting percentage. Setter Blair Buchanan registered her sixth double-double this season with 52 assists and 11 digs to go along with five kills. Ashley DeNeal led four Great Danes in double-figure digs with 25.

UMBC after the first half of league play sits in the middle with a 3-3 record, holding wins over all three teams ranking below in the conference standings and three losses to the top-three teams in league play.

The Retrievers return to action at American for their four consecutive road match on Tuesday at 7 p.m.  UMBC will be back in action at home next Sunday afternoon against New Hampshire in RAC Arena at 1 p.m.