WASHINGTON, D.C. – After coming back
from down two sets to one, the UMBC volleyball team could not
complete the comeback, falling to George Washington, 3-2 (25-15,
19-25, 26-24, 25-16, 15-7), Wednesday evening at the Smith
Center.
Despite being outhit, .170-.150, and outdug, 82-73, UMBC (2-7)
battled all night thanks to a balanced attack as well as team
defense. Four Retrievers notched double-digit digs,
including senior Ali
Loynachan (Whitby, Ontario/Sinclair), junior Ali Goc(Oshawa,
Ontario/R.S. McLaughlin) and sophomore Hannah
Schmidt(Catonsville, Md./Mount de Sales) who all registered 16
digs. Freshman Paige
Miller (Reading, Pa./Schuylkill Valley) dug 15 balls and
recorded 37 assists.
Freshman outside hitter Sherelle
Walker (New Freedom, Pa./Susquahannock) paced the
Retrievers' offense with a team-high 13 kills while junior middle
blocker Emily
Witsaman (Medina, Ohio/Medina) was just behind with 12
put-aways.
George Washington (2-6) was paced by a pair of double-doubles by
senior Lauren Whyte and
junior Rachael Goss. Whyte led the
Colonials with a match-best 19 kills and
classmate Candace Silva-Martin recorded
a GW-best 17 digs.
In the opening set, the teams traded points before the hosts
claimed three straight points to grab a 6-3 lead, one they would
not give up. The Colonials continued to build their lead
from there and at one point ran off five consecutive points to
build an 11-point cushion en route to winning the set 25-15.
The second set was much closer as the squads were tied seven
times and traded the lead twice. Following the last tie at ten
points each, UMBC put itself ahead for good with a three-point run
and held off a few GW rallies to level the match with a 25-19 set
win.
George Washington looked to claim the momentum back in the third
set, staking to a five point lead, 9-4, before the Retrievers
rallied to knot the set at 14. After three more ties,
the Colonials once again went out in front, but UMBC rallied again
to tie the score at 23 on a kill by Schmidt. After one last
tie of the set, the hosts claimed the final two points and the set,
26-24.
The fourth set looked to be following the pattern put forth in
the firth three as the teams were tied five times early
on. With the score knotted at 13, however, the
Retrievers ripped off 11 straight points to claim a 24-13
lead. The Colonials rallied for three points, but
Witsaman punctuated the set with another kill to level the match at
two with a 25-16 set win for UMBC.
Using the mini rally at the end of the fourth, the Colonials
took the initiative in the final frame, winning four straight
points to gain a 6-2 advantage. The Retrievers could
only get as close as three at 7-4, as George Washington held on for
the win, 15-9.
UMBC now opens up its 2012 home schedule with the two-day Maddie
Bingaman Memorial Tournament beginning Friday, Sept.
7. The Retrievers will take on Robert Morris and
Colorado on Friday before hosting James Madison and Howard on
Saturday.
DAWG BITES
- UMBC
is now 1-20 all-time against George Washington
- The
Retrievers are 0-2 in five set matches in 2012
