Box Score
BALTIMORE – The UMBC volleyball team rallied from two sets
down to force a decisive fifth set, but Delaware held on to the
defeat the Retrievers, Friday afternoon at Loyola (Md.)
University's Reitz Arena on the opening day of the Radisson Cross
Keys Greyhound Challenge. The Blue Hens defeated the
Retrievers, 3-2, in five sets (25-17, 25-19, 17-25, 29-31,
15-12).
"The girls gave a tremendous effort, but came up a bit short,"
said head coach Ian Blanchard. "I am encouraged by our
competitiveness and the mistakes we made are correctable."
Sophomore middle Krystal
Mlemchukwu (Baltimore, Md./Western Tech) led the way for UMBC
(1-4) with a season-high 16 kills while senior hitter Ali Goc (Oshawa,
Ontario/R.S. McLaughlin) added 13 winners and sophomore hitter Sherelle
Walker (New Fredom, Pa./Susquehannock) chipped in 11
put-aways.
Freshman libero Casey Griffith (King of Prussia, Pa./Upper
Merion) once again paced the Retriever backline, scooping up a
career-best 25 digs in the losing effort. Goc earned her
first double-double of the year with 18 digs.
"We dug a hole for ourselves early in the match, not from a lack
of effort or intensity, but more from a lack of execution,"
Blanchard said. "As we mature as a team we will improve our
execution."
Katie Hillman led all hitters with 28 kills and notched a
double-double by registering 11 digs. Katie Hank (11), Megan
Blunden (10), and Chandler Bryant (10) were also in double figures
for kills for Delaware (1-3) who earned its first win of the
season.
The Blue Hens outhit the Retrievers .184-.155 in the match and
picked up one more dig (85-84), but UMBC denied one more block than
UD (14.5-13.5).
Delaware looked poised to cruise to an easy victory in the
opening set, winning the first eight points, courtesy of four
Retriever hitting errors. UMBC recovered, though, and chipped
away at the lead, cutting the margin to three at 13-10 on a kill by
Mlemchukwu. Delaware did not let the Retrievers get any
closer, however, and won the final four points for a 25-17 opening
frame win.
The Blue Hens carried the momentum into the second period,
turning an early 2-2 tie into a 10-4 lead. UD's advantage
grew to eight on two occasions, the second one at 22-14, before
UMBC ran off four straight to trim the lead to 22-18.
Delaware held off the late charge though, to take a two sets to
none lead by winning the set 25-19.
UMBC would not go away and put up a fight in the third as the
teams went back-and-forth in the early going. After Delaware
knotted the set at 6-6, the Retrievers won eight of the next ten
points, the last on a kill from Goc. UMBC built the lead to a
set-high nine points at 23-14, and then closed it out to force a
fourth set on an ace from junior Hannah
Schmidt (Catonsville, Md./Mount de Sales).
In the fourth, the Retrievers continued their run from the
previous set gaining a 4-1 lead on a kill by Walker.
Delaware's quick rally leveled the set at 6-6 and the teams could
barely separate themselves the rest of the way. The Hens
five-point run to gain a 20-15 lead looked to prove decisive, but
UMBC staved off six match points and eventually gained their own
set point at 28-27 on a setting error. The Retrievers were
held at bay, however, until back-to-back Mlemchukwu kills gave the
Black and Gold a 31-29 win and sent the match to a decisive fifth
set.
The even play continued in the early going of the fifth set and
sophomore Kristin
Cooper (Davidsonville, Md./South River) pulled UMBC even with
Delaware at 7-7. Four out of the next five points went to the
Blue Hens, though, and they held on for the victory by closing out
the match with a 15-12 win.
UMBC returns to Reitz Arena on Saturday for a doubleheader to
close out the weekend. The Retrievers take on tournament host
Loyola (Md.) at 2:00 p.m. and then face LaSalle at 4:30 p.m.
DAWG BITES
- Delaware
has now won four straight meetings between the teams and leads the
all-time series 26-8.
- Goc's 13
kills are her most since tallying 15 against Hartford on Oct. 10,
2010.
-
Griffith's 25 digs are the most by a Retriever in a single match
since Ali Loynachan scooped up 28 at New Hampshire on Oct. 28,
2012.
- This was
UMBC's first five-set match of the season. Last season, the
Retrievers were 1-6 in matches that went the distance.
