Sophomore Iman Kennedy led the Retrievers with 9 kills Saturday.

IRVINE, Calif.—The UMBC volleyball team fell to UC Irvine in the final day of the Long Beach State/UC Irvine Invitational, 3-0, Saturday afternoon in Irvine, Calif. The Retrievers dropped to 2-3 on the season while the Anteaters improved to 6-0.

The first two games were very competitive with the Anteaters prevailing in both sets 25-21. In the final set, UMBC jumped out to a 5-2 lead, but UC Irvine won the next 11 points on their way to winning 25-8.

“This weekend has been fabulous for us and we’ve built a tremendous amount of momentum for the rest of the season,” head coach Ian Blanchard said.

Sophomore Iman Kennedy (Charlotte, N.C./Independence) and freshman Naomi Bush (Fruitport, Mich./Fruitport) each hit .350 for the Retrievers with Kennedy hitting nine kills and Bush earning eight kills and nine digs.

UC Irvine’s Juliane Piggott had a game-high 16 kills as the Anteaters hit .385 for the match.

“I was pleased with our effort,” Blanchard said. “We played a team that is going to be ranked in the top-20 really tough in the first two sets.”

The Retrievers were well supported all weekend, with UMBC’s fan base nearly equally UC Irvine’s contingent.

“I was ecstatic about the support from our fans,” the coach said. “We had fans travel from all over the country and Canada and they’ve treated us extraordinarily well. We wouldn’t have been able to make this trip without their support, and we look forward to making this trip in the future.”

The Retrievers return to action Wednesday when they return home to face George Mason at 7 p.m. in the RAC.