Freshman Ali Loynachan was named to the All-Tournament team.

VILLANOVA, Pa.—The UMBC volleyball team was down 24-18 in the third set against Princeton, but rallied to win 27-25 and three sets to none after falling to George Washington, 3-1, in the final day of the Villanova Classic on Saturday.

After winning the first two sets, 25-20 and 25-15, the Retrievers fell behind the Tigers 24-18 in the third. Senior Ashley Oscars (Bakersfield, Calif./Liberty) served six points that included a couple kills from sophomore Alyssa Lang (Richmond, Va./Deep Run) and blocks from sophomore Sarah Joy (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada/Brookfield) and freshman Ali Loynachan (Whitby, Ontario, Canada/Sinclair).

“It was one of the greatest comebacks I have ever been a part of,” head coach Ian Blanchard said. “We didn’t lose our composure and played very smart down the stretch.”

Loynachan was named to the All-Tournament team after leading the Retrievers with 11 kills against only one error and 12 digs. Lang and Oscars also added double-doubles, while senior Pam Jarrett (Lincoln, Neb./Lincoln Pius X) added a UMBC season-high 27 digs, an outstanding nine digs per set.

“Pam was our unsung hero today,” Blanchard said. “She was all over the court and helped our defense adjust to their (Princeton’s) hitters.”

After two ineffective serving matches to start the tournament, the Retrievers limited their errors to four, while serving five aces. UMBC also out blocked the Tigers 9-7.

“We had a very balanced attack today,” the coach said. “We served well, we blocked well and our attackers mixed it up well between swinging away and tipping.”

In the first match of the day against George Washington, UMBC hit an outstanding .344 in the first set, winning 25-17, but the Retrievers hit 13 service errors as the Colonels took the next three sets, 25-23, 25-18 and 25-17.

Kennedy led the Retrievers, hitting .417 with 13 kills and five total blocks. Loynachan recorded her first colligate double-double with 13 kills and 10 digs. Joy hit .391 with 11 kills against only two errors, while Jarrett earned 23 digs.

GW’s Katie Butz led all hitters with 19 kills, while Candace Silva-Martin led the team with 16 digs.

The Retrievers return to action Tuesday when they play host to Morgan State at the RAC Arena at 7 p.m.