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News Release
Volleyball Names Captains for 2012 Season
8/20/2012
 Head Coach Ian Blanchard |
BALTIMORE – UMBC seniors Katie Kelly (Diamond Bar, Calif./Diamond Bar) and Ali Loynachan (Whitby, Ontario Canada/Sinclair), in addition to junior Hallie Carter (Huntington Beach, Calif./Edison), will serve as captains for the 2012 volleyball season, head coach Ian Blanchard announced on Monday.
“Between the seniors’ overall experience and Hallie’s calm demeanor and outside involvement, I think they will be a great combination for our team to work off of,” said Blanchard.
Kelly, a senior from Diamond Bar, Calif., was one of the Retrievers’ most effective blockers a year ago before shoulder soreness slowed her down. The 6-1 middle blocker led UMBC with three, 9 total block matches, one of which came in the team’s early season 3-1 win at UC-Riverside. Despite missing seven matches, Kelly finished the season third in blocking with 68 total blocks.
Tapped as a captain in her final season, senior Ali Loynachan has upped her offensive and defensive totals in each of her first three years to become one of the squad’s most dangerous players. Playing the right side primarily in 2011, the Whitby, Ontario native, set career-highs in kills (152), assists (72), digs (200) and totals blocks (58), to help UMBC reach its fourth straight America East Tournament.
“Both Ali and Kelly have been through some challenges and dealt with adversity at UMBC,” said Blanchard. “Now they understand what it takes to overcome obstacles so they’ll have high expectations for their teammates and push them to succeed.”
Junior Hallie Carter, a versatile outside hitter from Huntington Beach, Calif., joins the group after having a tremendous sophomore season in which she recorded three double-doubles. Moving from outside hitter to sharing the libero role, Carter finished second on the team and seventh in the America East with 323 digs while also notching a career-high 26 kills against Rhode Island. Off the court, Carter has been heavily involved in the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee where she has served as the volleyball representative each of the past two years and will act as co-president of UMBC’s organization this year.
“Hallie is a very hard working student-athlete, who remains composed on the court,” said Blanchard. “I think she will lead by example and draw from her experience in SAAC to help lead this team.”
The Retrievers open the 2012 season this Friday, Aug. 24 at the Battle at the Bay Tournament, held at Morgan State. UMBC takes on local rival Towson as well as the home standing Bears before facing Coppin State and St. John’s on Saturday.