BALTIMORE – UMBC freshman Sherelle
Walker (New Freedom, Pa./Susquehannock) led a trio of
Retrievers in double figures with a match-high 17 kills as the UMBC
volleyball team rallied from down a set to defeat Providence, 3-1
(24-26, 25-23, 25-13, 25-10), Sunday afternoon at the RAC
Arena.
For Walker it was her second consecutive contest in double
figures as she recorded 22 winners in Friday's five-set loss to New
Hampshire. Sophomore Hannah
Schmidt (Catonsville, Md./Mount de Sales) and redshirt
freshman Krystal
Mlemchukwu (Baltimore, Md./Western Tech) also registered
double-digit kills, each finishing with 11 put-aways.
Setter Mallory McIntyre (Winnipeg, Manitoba/St. Mary's
Academy) notched her second straight and third overall
double-double of the season as the junior dished out 45 assists and
scooped a season-high 15 digs. She was one of four
Retrievers with double digit kills as senior Ali
Loynachan (Whitby, Ontario/Sinclair) posted a match-high
18.
Despite the final numbers, it was Providence (1-19, 0-3 AE) who
took the initiative in the opening set, jumping out to a 12-7
lead. UMBC (8-12, 1-2 AE) then put a rally together and
climbed back to within one on multiple occasions, and finally tied
the set at 24-24 on a service ace by senior Katie
Kelly (Diamond Bar, Calif./Diamond Bar). After
taking a timeout, the visitors regrouped and won the next two
points to win the first set 26-24.
The second set was a much more of a back-and forth affair as the
two squads traded the lead six times and were tied on 12
occasions. Neither team could pull away and Providence
was only able to take a three-point lead, 21-18, but UMBC fought
back right away and won the final four points to level the match at
one set apiece with a 25-23 set win.
The Retrievers used the momentum early on in the third as the
hosts claimed a 6-2 lead on a kill by
Schmidt. Providence made a game of it, however, trimming
the lead to just one, 6-5, but could not get any closer in the
set. UMBC used streaks of six straight and nine straight
points to see out the frame and claimed the match advantage by
winning the set 25-13.
The fourth set was a similar story as UMBC jumped out early, but
this time Providence could not come back. Walker
recorded seven of her kills in the final set as the Retrievers
pulled away, winning the last seven points to win the clincher
25-10.
UMBC has the mid-week off from competition before hitting the
road next weekend. The Retrievers take on Hartford on
Friday, Oct. 5 before facing off against Albany on Sunday at 2
p.m.
DAWG BITES
- UMBC
now leads the all-time series with Providence 8-2 and has not lost
to the Friars in America East play.
- Providence's
only two wins in the series came back in 1989 on back-to-back days
at the Delaware Tournament.
