GREENVILLE, N.C. – UMBC
freshman Sherelle
Walker (New Freedom, Pa./Susquehannock) collected 19
kills, but it was not enough as the UMBC volleyball team fell to
Marshall, 3-1 (24-26, 25-13, 25-20, 25-21), Saturday afternoon in
the Pirate Invitational at Minges Coliseum. The loss
snaps the Retrievers' four-match win streak that dated back to last
Sunday's win over Howard in the Maddie Bingaman Tournament.
Walker, the only Retriever in double figures against Marshall,
finished the weekend with 40 kills in the three contests after
registering 15 winners against East Carolina in the opener and six
against Coastal Carolina Saturday morning.
Junior libero Ali Goc (Oshawa,
Ontario/R.S. McLaughlin) led UMBC (7-10) with a team-best 16 digs
while sophomore Hannah
Schmidt(Catonsville, Md./Mount de Sales) and junior Emily
Vandegrift(Leesburg, Va./Loundoun County) also scooped up
double digit digs with 11 each.
Senior outside hitter Katy Schad led
all hitters with 19 kills while also picking up 16 digs to complete
the double-double. Junior libero Dorothy
Rahal recorded a match-high 21 digs for Marshall
(11-4) which has now won eight straight contests.
The opening frame set the tone for the entire match as the teams
traded the lead back-and-forth throughout. With Marshall
only able to establish a lead no greater than three, the Retrievers
hung around and tied the set at 13-13. After five more
ties, the Thundering Herd ran off four points to claim the lead
24-19. UMBC responded aggressively, holding off set
points and rallying for seven consecutive points to claim a 26-24
come-from-behind opening set win.
The Retrievers continued the momentum into the early going in
the second set by opening up a 5-2 lead. The Herd then
went on a 10-1 run though to stake to a 12-6 lead and never looked
back, leveling the match with a 25-13 win.
The third set returned to the opening set formula as the squads
traded the lead five times and were tied 12 different
times. With Marshall leading 14-10, UMBC rattled off
four straight points to tie the set at 14 on a service ace by
Schmidt. Neither team could separate itself over the
next six points, but then Marshall steadily built a cushion and
held on for a 25-20 set win.
UMBC opened brightly again in the fourth set, winning six of the
opening nine points for a 6-3 lead. Though the Herd was
able to knot the score on two occasions, the Retrievers pulled head
again by three, 12-9, on a service ace by sophomore Tanaeri
Santiago (Bayamon, Puerto Rico/American Military
Academy). Marshall won three straight points though to
tie the score, and then after four more ties, opened up a set-high
six point lead, 24-18. The Retrievers rallied to cut the
lead to 24-21 before the Herd put the set and match away.
UMBC is now off during the mid-week for the first time this
season before traveling to Upstate New York to open America East
play at Binghamton on Friday, Sept. 21. The Retrievers
and Bearcats are set to begin play at 7 p.m. in Vestal, N.Y.
DAWG BITES
- Marshall
now leads the all-time series with UMBC, 2-1, after the schools
split two meetings in the 1980's.
- Vandegrift
only notched six kills against Marshall ending her streak of three
consecutive matches with a double-double.
