Vestal, N.Y.—UMBC volleyball suffered a 3-1 setback to the Bearcats on Friday night. UMBC was led by freshman Makenzie Morgen (Appleton, Wisc./Appleton East) with 17 kills and 11 digs. The Retrievers fall to 11-12, 5-4 AE on the year.

The Bearcats and Retrievers battled back and forth in the opening set, each taking turns with the lead. Binghamton however would take the lead at 14-11 midway through, and hold on the rest of the set. The Retrievers battled to cut into the deficit, but a Megan Burgess kill gave the Bearcats a 25-22 win.

The second stanza saw Binghamton jump ahead early at 10-6 before a furious Retriever run brought the game back even. Seven straight kills by the Retrievers to make it 17-16 Bearcats, led by a trio of winners from Morgen. The Bearcats however had an answer, as both sides exchanged points late. UMBC would win the last three points off kills from Morgen and sophomore Abbie Mirabella (Hockessin, Del./St. Mark's) to win a wild set 32-30.

Binghamton came out swinging in the third, racing ahead to a 17-9 lead, forcing Head Coach Ian Blanchard to use a timeout. The Bearcats never looked back, winning the third set 25-16. The final stanza was much closer, as each side exchanged blows early on.  It would be the Bearcats who had the last blow, closing the set on a 8-0 run to win 25-20 and the match 3-1.

Morgen led the charge with 17 kills and 11 digs. The Wisconsin native hit .429 for the day. Fellow classmate Maddie Schneider (Olathe, Kan./Olathe Northwest) hit .346, with 13 kills on 26 swings. Freshman setter Krytsia Negron (San Juan, Puerto Rico/Colegio Adianez) led the attack with 30 helpers.

The Retrievers return to the court on Sunday, Nov. 8 at Albany. The match with the Great Danes is slated for 2:00 p.m.