UMBC

Ali Goc leads UMBC with 168 digs

BALTIMORE – The UMBC volleyball team travels down to Greenville, N.C. to wrap up its 2012 non-conference slate at the Pirate Invitational, hosted by East Carolina.  The Retrievers open the weekend by taking on the host Pirates at Minges Coliseum on Friday, Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. before facing Coastal Carolina at 10 a.m. and Marshall at 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Scouting the Retrievers

UMBC is 5-9 this season after holding on for its first five-set win of the season at St. Francis (Pa.) on Tuesday evening.  The Retrievers won the opening two sets on the road, however, they were forced to play a deciding frame as the hosts roared back to win the next two.  Ultimately the Black and Gold persevered, claiming the fifth set 15-9 on the last of ten kills by junior Emily Vandegrift (Leesburg, Va./Loudoun County).  The veteran outside hitter also picked up ten digs to record her first double-double of the season and second of her career.

Freshman outside hitter Sherelle Walker (New Freedom, Pa./Susquehannock) remains a key to the UMBC offense after notching 12 winners against the Red Flash to bring her team-high season total to 140 kills.  Sophomore Hannah Schmidt (Catonsville, Md./Mount de Sales) has also been a consistent factor and currently sits second on the team in both kills (119) and digs (127).

Leading the offense, freshman setter Paige Miller (Reading, Pa./Schuylkill Valley) has taken hold of the position and is currently fourth in the America East with a 8.28 assists per set average.  Miller has also helped the Retrievers’ defense, totaling 104 digs so far this season.

On the back line, junior libero Ali Goc (Oshawa, Ontario/R.S. McLaughlin) has provided stability and leadership racking up a team-best 168 digs.  In addition, junior Hallie Carter (Huntington Beach, Calif./Edison) has also topped the 100-dig mark with 105 pickups.

On the Pirates: East Carolina is 1-8 this season after dropping all three of its matches at last weekend’s Duke Invitational.  The Pirates were swept by Northeastern and Duke before falling to in-state rival Elon 3-1 in the tournament finale. 

East Carolina is 1-2 this season at home at Minges Coliseum, defeating Bethune Cookman, but dropping matches to Campbell and Charlotte at the season-opening East Carolina Classic.

Sophomore setter Zarah Cecich leads the balanced Pirate offense which has seen eight different players record at least ten kills this season.  Junior Hannah Allgood paces the Pirates with 79 kills while classmate Shelby Beasley has registered an ECU-best 111 digs.

All-Time Series vs. East Carolina: UMBC leads the all-time series with ECU, 2-1, with all three meetings coming on neutral courts.  The two teams have not met since 2001 when the Pirates got on the board with a 3-2 win at the Hokie/Mizuno Classic.  The first two meetings, both UMBC wins, were both played in Maryland as the Retrievers won 3-2 at the 1990 Towson Tournament and then 3-1 at the 1993 Loyola Invitational.

On the Chanticleers: Coastal Carolina is 1-5 in 2012 defeating Howard, 3-0, to wrap up the Panther Invitational hosted by the University of Pittsburgh over Labor Day Weekend.  The Chanticleers dropped their opening two matches against Pitt and Butler, respectively, before downing the Bison.

Junior setter Lauren Alejo is currently seventh in the Big South, averaging 6.12 assists per set, while also ranking second in the conference in service aces, with a 0.42 average per set.

Meanwhile, senior libero Jamie DiMaggio leads the team and ranks tenth in the Big South with 70 digs.

All-Time Series vs. Coastal Carolina: The Retrievers lead the all-time series with their former Big South rival, 8-4, and hold a 4-1 advantage in matches played on a neutral court.  All 12 of the previous contests between the two squads came between 1992 and 1997 with UMBC winning the last three matches including a 3-0 sweep in the ’97 conference tournament.

On the Thundering Herd: Marshall defeated Eastern Kentucky at home on Tuesday to run its current streak to five straight wins to improve to 8-4 this season.  The Herd has now swept through its last four opponents after claiming a 3-2 victory over Morehead State on Sept. 5.

The streak has Marshall back on track after the squad dropped four straight matches, the first three of which came at the Louisville Tournament.  The Thundering Herd had started the season unbeaten with three home wins against Wright State, IUPUI, and Miami (OH) at the Thunder Invitational.

Marshall’s offense has been led this season by the combination of senior Katy Schad and junior Laura Der whom together have recorded more kills (285) than the rest of the squad (219).  Schad has also been instrumental on defense picking up 124 digs, trailing only junior libero Dorothy Rahal who has a team-best 161 digs.

All-Time Series vs. Marshall: Saturday’s meeting between the Retrievers and Thundering Herd will be the first in over 25 years for the two schools.  UMBC and Marshall split the only two contests in the series with the Black and Gold winning 2-0 at the Liberty Baptist Tournament in 1984 and the Herd claiming a 3-1 win two years later at the same tournament.

Retriever Stat Pack

Season Highs:

Double-Doubles: