UMBC

Printer Friendly  Email This Page
News Release

Volleyball Returns Home to Host Albany on Friday, Hartford on Sunday for Senior Day

11/1/2012

Head Coach Ian Blanchard

BALTIMORE – After splitting a pair of America East contests on the road last weekend, the UMBC volleyball team returns to the RAC on Friday to open its final home stand of the season.  The Retrievers will host Albany on Friday at 6 p.m. for Hero’s Night, recognizing all those who have made sacrifices for our country, and then welcome Hartford to Baltimore on Sunday for Senior Day.

The Retrievers currently sit in fourth in the America East at 5-4 heading into the second-to-last weekend of the season, holding a half-game lead over Stony Brook (4-4) for the final spot in the conference tournament.  Albany currently leads the league with a 7-1 mark while New Hampshire and Binghamton sit two games back with 6-3 records.

Scouting the Retrievers

On the road last Friday, UMBC held off a comeback against Providence, downing the Friars in four sets behind Hannah Schmidt’s (Catonsville, Md./Mount de Sales) tenth double-double of the season.  The sophomore led the Retrievers with a match-high 16 kills to go along with 11 digs, but was not alone as junior Emily Vandegrift (Leesburg, Va./Loudoun County) and freshman Krystal Mlemchukwu (Baltimore, Md./Western Tech) chipped in with 13 kills and 11 kills, respectively.

Then on Sunday, the Retrievers fell behind two sets to none at New Hampshire, but responded by winning the next two, forcing a decisive fifth set.  In the end though, UNH defeated UMBC for a second time this season in five sets, despite 21 kills from freshman Sherelle Walker (New Freedom, Pa./Susquehannock) and 28 digs by senior Ali Loynachan (Whitby, Ontario/Sinclair).

Walker’s performance on Sunday landed just shy of her career-best 22 kills against UNH earlier in the season, but returned her to the top spot for the Retrievers with 253 put-aways this season.  She currently ranks fifth in the league with a .245 hitting percentage and sixth with a 3.12 kills per set average.  Schmidt is just one back of her teammate with 252 winners while Mlemchukwu, Loynachan, Vandegrift and junior Emily Witsaman (Media, Ohio/Medina) have all recorded at least 100 kills in 2012.

Loynachan has also been a key factor for the Retrievers on defense since returning to the lineup and is averaging 3.44 digs per set in conference action this season.  Her 2.91 average for the season sits at ninth overall in the America East and she trails only junior Ali Goc (Oshawa, Ontario/R.S. McLaughlin) who has a 3.44 average, for the team lead.  With 964 digs in her career, Goc is in tenth place all-time in UMBC history.

Scouting the Great Danes

Albany (10-13, 7-1 America East) lost its first conference match of the season in four sets to Stony Brook at home in its only match last weekend.  The Great Danes took the opening frame 25-15, but the Seawolves rebounded quickly, winning the next three sets to avenge a four-set loss on Long Island earlier this season.

Despite the loss, Albany can still clinch a spot in the America East Championships with one win in its final four conference games.  After taking on UMBC Friday night, the Great Danes travel to Binghamton on Sunday before heading home to face Providence on Nov. 9 and UNH on the road on Nov. 11.

The Great Danes have been paced by great defensive play this season, led by junior Viktoriia Stroilo who leads the conference with a 5.41 digs per set average.  Senior Traci Vandegrift has also made a significant contribution and ranks sixth in the league averaging 3.41 digs per set.  In addition, Albany sits in second, behind only UMBC, averaging 1.89 blocks per set.

On the attack, Albany’s senior setter Gabby Whitworth has spread out the opportunities with sophomores Sara Pope and Samantha Brostrom receiving the most chances.  Pope ranks fifth in the America East with a 3.19 kills per set average, and a team-best 258 winner on the year, while Brostrom is not far behind with a 2.66 average.

All-Time Series vs. Albany

The Great Danes defeated the Retrievers in four sets earlier this year in New York to push their win streak to 13 straight and the all-time lead to 22-2.  UMBC last defeated Albany on Oct. 12, 2007 at the RAC Arena in five sets.  Since then Albany has won all ten America East meetings while also knocking UMBC out of each of the past three conference tournaments.

In the match earlier this season, Mlemchukwu recorded a career-high 18 kills and Schmidt notched a double-double with 13 kills and ten digs, but it was not enough for the Retrievers to snap the streak.  Three Great Danes registered double-digit kills in the match, led by Pope who put away 20 winners.

Scouting the Hawks

Hartford lost its only match of the weekend, a four-set decision to Stony Brook on Senior Day.  With the loss, the Hawks dropped to 8-16 overall and 2-6 in conference play and now sit in sixth place in the league standings.  Sareeta Nethersole led Hartford with 15 kills and Kami Nethersole chipped in with 13 kills. 

After earning a spot on the conference All-Rookie Team last year, sophomore setter Jackie Tamburri has impressed again this year and currently leads the league averaging 9.75 assists per set.  Sareeta Nethersole has benefitted the most from her classmate’s success leading Hartford with 336 kills this season while placing sixth in the league with a .240 hitting efficiency.

All-Time Series vs. Hartford

UMBC improved to 19-2 all-time against Hartford after winning in Connecticut in straight sets earlier this season.  The Retrievers held a 14-match win streak against the Hawks going into 2011 before the teams split the season series, each winning on its home court.

In Connecticut earlier this year, Schmidt notched a match-high 16 kills and scooped up ten digs as the Retrievers leveled their conference record at 2-2.  Hartford’s Sareeta Nethersole was the only other player in the match to record double-digit kills, earning 11 winners.

Retriever Stat Pack

Season Highs:

Double-Doubles: