Video Highlights

BALTIMORE – Senior outside hitter Ali Goc (Oshawa, Ontario/R.S. McLaughlin) tallied her team-leading 12th double-double of the season by sending down a match-best 18 kills and picking up 15 digs as the UMBC volleyball team took out America East rival Binghamton in four sets (25-20, 24-26, 31-29, 25-23), Friday evening at the RAC Arena.

With the win, UMBC (15-9, 6-3 AE) earns a season split with Binghamton (6-17, 4-5 AE) after the Bearcats defeated the Retrievers in five sets less than three weeks ago in New York.  The victory also sends the Retrievers into a tie for second in the league standings along with Albany and Stony Brook.

Goc's 18 winners led a diverse UMBC attack as senior Mallory McIntyre (Winnipeg, Manitoba/St. Mary's Academy) handed out 57 assists and five Retrievers recorded 11 or more kills.  Junior Hannah Schmidt (Catonsville, Md./Mount de Sales) joined Goc and McIntyre by recording a double-double with 11 kills and 11 digs.

Coming off the bench for the first time this season, freshman defensive specialist Casey Griffith (King of Prussia, Pa./Upper Merion) led the Retriever back line with 20 digs while senior libero Hallie Carter (Huntington Beach, Calif./Edison) picked up 14 digs.

Reigning America East Rookie of the Week Allison Hovie paced the Bearcats with a double-double of her own registering 16 kills and 12 digs.  Setter Amanda Dettmann nearly equaled her counterpart, McIntyre, by sending out 54 assists.

Overall, the Retrievers outhit the Bearcats (.275-.184) while also out-blocking their foes, 10.0-7.0.

The match was tight throughout as the teams traded the lead 21 total times and were tied on 43 occasions.  The first set was just the tip of the iceberg as the two teams continuously answered each other's runs.  The hosts looked to be on their way to a comfortable first-set win as a Bearcat attack error gave them a 20-12 lead.  BU answered with a 5-1 lead trimming the lead to four, 21-17, but UMBC salted the set away, and took the initiative with a 25-20 set win.

UMBC came out strong in the second set, winning the first five points, and then answered a 4-0 Binghamton run with three straight of its own for an 8-4 advantage.  The Bearcats would not go away, however, and took the lead, 11-10, on a kill by Hovie.  The Retrievers responded immediately, winning seven of nine points, the last on a kill by Goc, to retake the lead 17-13.  Again BU would not go quietly, this time staving off a Retriever set point and eventually leveling the match with a 26-24 set win.

The third set was the closest of all as the teams were tied on 22 occasions as the frame went extra.  The visitors earned the first set point, 24-23, on a kill by Hovie, but neither side could put the frame away until the Retrievers ran off three straight after trailing 29-28, and took the set win, 31-29, when sophomores Krystal Mlemchukwu (Baltimore, Md./Western Tech) and Sherelle Walker (New Freedom, Pa./Susquehannock) combined for a block.

In the fourth set, UMBC jumped out to another lead and never trailed as they finished off the victory by holding off the Bearcats, 25-23.  Walker and senior Emily Witsaman (Medina, Ohio/Medina) put down five kills apiece in the frame with Goc and Mlemchukwu each earning four winners. 

UMBC now closes out its 2013 regular season home schedule with its Senior Day match on Sunday against Albany.  The Retrievers and Great Danes will take the court following a ceremony at 2:00 p.m. at the RAC Arena.

Dawg Bites

-          UMBC and Binghamton have split the season series each of the past two seasons, but the Bearcats still lead the all-time series 16-11.

-          McIntyre dished out 18 assists in the first set alone.

-          Tonight's match was Carter's 100th career match.