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Box Score 2
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The UMBC volleyball
team extended its win streak to eight matches, following a pair of
victories on Saturday at the Gold and Blue Players Challenge hosted
by West Virginia University. Senior Ali Goc (Oshawa,
Ontario/R.S. McLaughlin) posted a pair of double-doubles and led
all Retrievers with a combined 30 kills and 31 digs as UMBC took
three of four sets in its weekend opener against Liberty (25-17,
24-26, 25-18, 25-23) and battled back to earn the five-set victory
versus Georgetown (25-18, 22-25, 25-27, 25-21, 15-10) inside WVU
Coliseum.
The reigning America East Setter of the Week Mallory McIntyre
(Winnipeg, Manitoba/St. Mary's Academy), tallied 45 helpers versus
Liberty and followed up with a season-best 55 assists against the
Hoyas. Classmate Emily
Witsaman (Medina, Ohio/Medina) added double-digit winners in
both sets, tallying 12 versus the Flames and 15 against
Georgetown.
With Liberty (1-11) out to a 5-2 advantage in the opener, UMBC
rattled off 11 of the next 13 points, including seven straight, to
jump out in front 13-7, a lead it would not relinquish in the set.
The Flames would trim their deficit down to four, 15-11, but
Witsaman and Goc would respond with three consecutive kills.
Liberty would try for one final push in the frame on a pair of
kills and a block from Kendle Rollins, but Witsaman would again
start the Retrievers' rally with one of her five kills in the set,
as UMBC would go on to score seven of the final nine points in a
25-17 opening set victory.
In a back and forth second frame, UMBC looked to be in a good
position to take a two set lead over Liberty, as the Retrievers
found themselves up 24-21 following a block from McIntyre and
sophomore Krystal
Mlemchukwu (Baltimore, Md./Western Tech), however, the Flames
closed out the set with five straight points for the 26-24 win.
UMBC would respond in the third frame, opening up the set with a
7-2 advantage, with four different Retrievers recording kills
during the span. With the Flames within three points, UMBC would
claim six of the next seven, including two of Goc's six spikes in
the set. The black and gold would roll on to a 25-18 victory.
UMBC spotted Liberty the first seven points in the final set of
the match before a Witsaman kill got the Retrievers on the board.
The Flames would go on to take a 10-3 lead, but Mlemchukwu would
get the black and gold going, contributing a trio of winners and
adding a solo block to bring UMBC back within four, at 12-8.
Liberty tried desperately to preserve its lead, but attacking
errors plagued the Flames, allowing the Retrievers to jump out in
front 22-20.
Liberty would not go down without a fight, battling back to tie
the contest at 22-all. Following a Goc spike and a Flames' attack
error, LU's Monica Johnson would again bring Liberty within one, at
24-23, but sophomore Sherelle
Walker (New Freedom, Pa./Susquehannock) would put the match
away with her 12th kill.
In the Retrievers' second match of the day, Casey Griffith (King
of Prussia, Pa./Upper Merion) matched her season-best with 25 digs,
while Goc added a season-best 21 digs to go along with a match-best
17 kills.
The Retrievers allowed Georgetown to get out to a 5-1 lead in
the opener versus the Hoyas, but recovered to knot things up at
seven apiece. UMBC would hold the Hoyas to a .050 hitting
percentage in the frame and would allow them to post back-to-back
points just once more in the set en route to capturing a 25-18
victory.
UMBC squandered a 5-1 lead in the second set, allowing the Hoyas
to record six straight points, to place the Retrievers in a deficit
it would not be able to erase. Later in the frame, UMBC would rally
after being down 23-16, coming within two at 24-22, but it was not
enough as GU would claim the 25-22 win to even things up at one set
apiece.
Georgetown would gain control of the third set, taking a 13-7
advantage over the Retrievers, but UMBC would stick around, cutting
its deficit to three, 15-12, after a kill from newcomer Elise Adamson
(Bel Air, Md./John Carroll) and a service ace from Paige Miller
(Reading, Pa./Schuykill Valley). Later in the set, the Retrievers
would score five consecutive points to take a 25-24 advantage, but
couldn't put the set-winner down, allowing GU to score the final
three points for the 27-25 victory.
With the set tied at 17, the black and gold would finally force
some separation, tallying three consecutive points to pull out in
front 20-17. Although Georgetown was able to pull within one, UMBC
would score four of the final five points of the fourth frame to
force a fifth and deciding set.
Walker and Witsaman combined for the first three points of the
final set for the Retrievers, but the Hoyas were able to respond to
knot it up at three apiece. With the set tied at four, Mlemchukwu's
kill would give UMBC the lead for good as the black and gold would
cruise to a 15-10 deciding set victory.
UMBC concludes the Gold and Blue Players Challenge hosted by
West Virginia University with a 1 p.m. matchup against the host
Mountaineers on Sunday, Sept. 21 at WVU Coliseum.
