The UMBC Volleyball team (12-10, 7-0 America East) will face a pair of stern tests in New York this week, starting with a 2020-21 championship game rematch with the UAlbany Great Danes on Friday, Oct. 22. After the 7:00 p.m. contest in Albany, UMBC heads southwest for a rematch versus the Binghamton Bearcats on Sunday, Oct. 24 for a 1:00 p.m. match.

The contest at UAlbany will be broadcast on the America East digital network, while Sunday's match at Binghamton will be on ESPN3.

RETRIEVER REVIEW

• UMBC has won seven consecutive matches, all in America East competition, posting their longest winning streak since an eight-game surge in 2013. They hold a 2.5 game lead over UAlbany and Stony Brook in the conference race.

• The Retrievers have swept their last five opponents and won their last 17 sets, dating back to a set No. 2 loss at UNH on Oct. 1.

• The Retrievers lead America East in blocks (2.3) and digs (16.5) per set.

• Sophomore Beste Ayhan (Istanbul, Turkey) is tied for fourth place in the nation in total blocks with 103. She leads the America East Conference in hitting percentage at .349.

• Freshman Mia Bilusic (Zagreb, Croatia) is second in the conference with 3.47 kills per set.

• Loren Teter (Redondo Beach, Calif.) is second in the league with 4.46 digs per set.  

 HONORED

·         For the third-consecutive week, Andjelija Draskovic (Vrnjacka Banja, Serbia) was named the America East Setter of the Week, the Conference announced on Oct. 19. The junior averaged 11.5 assists per set as UMBC hit .379 on her sets in sweeps of NJIT and Binghamton. She had 36 assists and 10 digs against BU on Friday, and followed that up with 33 assists and a match-high 13 digs against NJIT on Sunday. 

·         Teter has earned Defensive Specialist of the Week on four occasions this season.

·         The league has honored Bilusic with three Rookie of the Week citations in her initial campaign.

A GLANCE AT THE GREAT DANES/ALL-TIME SERIES  

• UAlbany (8-12, 4-2 America East) has captured four of its last five matches, including a 3-1 win at Hartford on Oct. 18. Freshman Oren Abutbul led the Great Dane offense, tallying 18 kills with a .500 hitting percentage against the Hawks. 

·         Abutbul leads the Great Danes and is seventh in America East with 2.71 kills per set.  

·         Freshmen Anissia Wong and Lilou Stegeman have combined for 108 blocks this season and are ranked 3-4 in the league in blocks per set.

·         UMBC snapped a nine-game losing streak to UAlbany when they defeated the Great Danes, 3-2, in the 2020-21 America East Championship match at University Gym.

·         The Danes still lead the all-time series by a substantial 34-9 margin.  

A GLANCE AT THE BEARCATS/ALL-TIME SERIES  

·         The two squads just met on Oct. 15 and the Retrievers pulled off a 3-0 at Chesapeake Arena.  

·         Bilusic (16) and Grace Rigsbee (Suwanee, Ga.) (13) combined for 29 kills, and the UMBC defense held the Bearcats to -.009 hitting.

·         Binghamton (6-12, 2-4 AE) fell, 3-0, at Stony Brook on Oct. 17. Junior Anna Sprys led the team with six kills on just 13 swings, and senior Emily Rail added nine digs.

·         Sophomore Stefana Stan is ranked fifth in America East with 2.8 kills per set.

·         The UMBC victory last Friday evened the all-time series a 21-all and extended UMBC's winning streak to six in a row over the Bearcats.

UP NEXT

UMBC returns home for a Friday, Oct. 29 match versus Hartford. The opening serve is set for 7:00 p.m.