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News Release

UMBC Volleyball to Kick-Off 2007 Season at La Salle Tournament

8/31/2007

Reigning America East Rookie of the Year, Ashley Oscars will lead the Retrievers into the 2007 and her sophomore campaign at the La Salle Tournament.

BALTIMORE—The UMBC volleyball team will open the 2007 season today at the La Salle Tournament in Philadelphia, Pa.

The Retrievers will face the likes of Loyola, St. Peter’s, Lafayette, and host La Salle during the weekend tournament with their first match scheduled for today at 12:00 p.m. against Loyola.

All-Time at La Salle Tournament: This is the third time in the Retrievers 34-year history that they will be competing at a tournament held at La Salle University.  The Retrievers have previously competed at the La Salle Tournament in the 1990 and 2001 seasons.

In 1990, the Retrievers finished the tournament with a 1-2 record, earning a victory against Fordham and falling to Columbia and host La Salle.  The ladies fared better in 2001 where they were a perfect 4-0, notching wins against Drexel, Lafayette, Morgan State, and the host Explorers.

New Blood: The La Salle tournament this weekend will mark the first competition for head coach Ian Blanchard’s newest additions to the UMBC volleyball team.  Freshmen Sarah Hill, Sabrina Hoeks, Bianca Sande, and Bridget Scheetz and sophomore transfer Tiffany Johnson will make their UMBC, and, for most, collegiate debuts in the weekend tournament. 

According to Blanchard, each of these incoming players has the potential to start and the Retrievers have had ample time to test different starting six combinations.  Blanchard purposely did not schedule his team for the first competition weekend in order to give him and his coaching staff time to try numerous different combinations of players.

Retrievers vs. the Greyhounds: The Retrievers lead the all-time series, 42-13-1, against Loyola with their last meeting dating back to Sept. 13, 2006, where the Retrievers downed the Greyhounds, 3-1, at the RAC Arena.  Setter Kira Giles tallied a then-season-high of 53 assists, while outside hitter Ashley Oscars recorded her only double-double of the season with 16 kills and 11 digs.

Retrievers vs. the Peahens: The Retrievers lead the all-time series versus St. Peter’s, 3-1, with the last match occurring on Sept. 10, 2005 in Baltimore.  The Peahens suffered a 3-1 loss on that date and have been outscored by the Retrievers, 10-4 in the career series.  In the last meeting, outside hitter Sarah Ball recorded 13 kills and was just two digs shy of a double-double, while Angela Anderson added nine kills.

Retrievers vs. the Leopards: The Retrievers lead the all-time series, which dates back to 1978, 4-1 with the last battle between the teams occurring on Sept. 13, 2002 as part of the UMBC Tournament.  The Retrievers were victorious in that match, 3-0, claiming a winnign margin as high as 17 points in the second set.

Retrievers vs. the Explorers: The Retrievers have faced host La Salle 16 times since competition began between the two teams in 1981 and lead the series, 10-6.  The last meeting transpired last season on Aug. 25, 2006 as part of the Colgate Classic.  The Retrievers came out on the winning end of a 3-0 decision that marked the kick-off of the 2006 season.  Coming off an America East Rookie of the Year season, outside hitter Sarah Ball recorded a double-double in the match with 14 kills and 15 digs.