UMBC

Junior Kira Giles was named the UMBC Tounament MVP Saturday.

BALTIMORE—The UMBC volleyball team used 14 total team blocks to power its way to a 3-1 win over Duquesne (25-15, 25-13, 22-25, 25-13), on the final day of the UMBC Tournament Saturday evening at the RAC Arena.

The Retrievers (5-2) hit an outstanding .325 hitting percentage and earned 56 kills with only 15 errors to overpower the Dukes (6-1), who had 27 errors and a .083 hitting percentage.

Junior Kira Giles (Winnipeg, Canada/Glenlawn) was named the tournament MVP as she had tallied her fourth double-double of the season with 49 assists and 10 digs. Sophomore Bridget Scheetz (St. Louis, Mo./Ursuline Academy) was named to the All-Tournament team with 10 assisted blocks and hit nine kills with only one error. She is now alone in seventh at UMBC with 139 career assisted blocks.

Freshman Alyssa Lang (Richmond, Va./Deep Run) had her third double-double of the year with 11 kills and 14 digs. Redshirt-freshman Sarah Hill (Richmond, Va./L.C. Bird) added eight kills along with six assisted blocks, while freshman Sarah Joy (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada/Brookfield) hit eight kills against two errors.

After falling down 3-1 in the first set, UMBC ran off eight straight points behind Giles’ serve. The Retrievers used the momentum and finished the set with a 7-2 run to win the opening set 25-15.

In the second set, it was much of the same for the Retrievers, who hit 15 kills to only three errors and won 25-13.

UMBC, who finished 2-1 in the UMBC Tournament, hit an outstanding .500 hitting percentage in the fourth set on its way to winning 25-13. Giles added 16 assists in the set, as the Retrievers bounced back after dropping the third set, 25-22.

The Retrievers return to action Tuesday night as they play host to Villanova at 7 p.m. at the RAC Arena.