The top-seeded UMBC volleyball team (17-11, 12-0 America East) begins its quest for back-to-back America East Conference titles when they face No. 4 Stony Brook (13-13, 7-5) in the first league semi-final match-up on Friday, Nov. 19 at Chesapeake Employers Insurance Arena. The opening serve is set for 4:00 p.m. and all matches in the tournament will be broadcast on the America East digital network (AE.tv).

No. 2 UAlbany takes on third-seeded New Hampshire at 7:00 p.m. and the championship game is set for Saturday, Nov. 20 at 4:00 p.m.

Tickets are available now at https://umbctickets.universitytickets.com/.

For all links and information about the 2021 America East Volleyball Championships, please visit the league's Championship Central.

Retriever fans can always follow the team on their Twitter site @umbcvolleyball.

RETRIEVER REVIEW

·       UMBC brought home three major awards, and placed six on the America East All-Conference Teams:

• Loren Teter (Redondo Beach, Calif.) was named America East Defensive Specialist of the Year and to the All-Conference First and All-Academic Teams 
• Mia Bilusic (Zagreb, Croatia) was honored as the America East Rookie of the Year and was named to the All-Conference First Team
• Graduate student Grace Rigsbee (Suwanee, Ga.) also earned a spot on the All-Conference First Team
• Junior setter Andjelija Draskovic (Vrnjacka Banja, Serbia) was voted to the All-Conference Second Team
• Mila Ilieva (Vidin, Bulgaria) was named to the All-Rookie Team
• Aysia Miller (Mililani, Hawaii) joined Teter on the All-Academic Team
• Head coach Cristina Robertson and her staff were named Coaching Staff of the Year for the second consecutive season.

·       The Retrievers completed an undefeated America East Conference season by blanking Stony Brook, 3-0, at Pritchard Gym one week ago.  

 

·       The Retrievers triumphed 25-21, 25-18, 25-22 and recorded the sixth perfect record in league history.

 

·       Bilusic led the way with 13 kills, while graduate student Rigsbee added 11 and hit .250. Four Retrievers added double-digit dig totals, led by Teter who amassed 20.

 

NOTABLE

·       The 2021 UMBC program also etched its name in school history, posting the fourth undefeated record in NCAA Division I conference play. The Retrievers registered marks of 8-0 in 1994 (Big South) and 1998 (Northeast Conference) and a 9-0 record in the 2000 NEC campaign.

 

·       UMBC's ten-match winning streak (Sept. 25-Oct. 29) was their longest since a school-record 11-match surge in 2000.

 

·       The ten-match streak tied the mark of the 1998 squad, while the 2000 and 1996 teams were one better as they share the school record with 11 consecutive match victories.

 

·       UMBC only dropped six sets in America East play this season and did not compete in one five-setter.

 

·       Ayhan's 123 blocks are the second-most in a single season and just a dozen behind all-time leader Rehena Rentuma, who recorded 135 in 1991.  She is currently tied for 19th nationally in total blocks.

 

·       Teter's 472 digs this season are currently the sixth-best single-season mark in school history. She stands second in the conference with 4.65 digs per set.

 

·       The Retrievers are 23rd nationally with 16.86 digs per set. 

 

·       UMBC leads America East in opponent hitting percentage (.160) and digs per set (16.6).
 

·       Bilusic has raced up to second place in kills per set in America East with 3.64. Draskovic has taken a similar course and is now second in assists per set at 9.45.

 

UMBC NCAA DIVISION I CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT HISTORY

·       UMBC has won three conference titles in three different leagues – capturing the Big South crown in 1996, the Northeast Conference title in 1998 and the America East Championship in the spring of 2021.

 

·       This will be UMBC's tenth appearance in the America East Conference Championships in 19 league seasons. (2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2016, 20-21). The Retrievers have competed in four title matches (2006, 2010, 2013, 2020-21), capturing their first crown this past spring.  

 

TOURNAMENT RECORDS VS. 2021 ENTRANTS

 

o   Stony Brook (First Meeting)

o   UAlbany (2-3; L, 2-3, F, 2006; L, 0-3, SF, 2010; L, 0-3, SF, 2011; W, 3-0, SF, 2013; W, 3-2, F, 2020-21)  

o   New Hampshire (0-1; L, 2-3, F, 2013)

 

A GLANCE AT STONY BROOK  

·       Sophomore setter Torri Henry leads the conference with 9.82 assists and 0.40 service aces per set. Sophomore middle blocker Abby Campbell is fourth in America East with a .308 hitting percentage and junior middle blocker Enitan Omolewa is fifth at .294, both earned spots on the All-Conference Second Team. Amiyah De'Long was named to the All-Conference First Team

 

·       Stony Brook leads the conference in hitting percentage (.212) and assists per set (11.74).  

 

·       This will be the 39th meeting between the Retrievers and Seawolves. UMBC has won five straight, but SBU holds a narrow 20-18 series lead.

 

·       This season, the two teams opened and closed conference play. UMBC earned a hard-fought four-set win at Chesapeake Arena on Sept. 25, then blanked the Seawolves on Long Island one week ago. Bilusic registered 36 kills over seven sets versus SBU.

 

A GLANCE AT UALBANY

 

·       The Great Danes closed the campaign by winning five of their final six matches. Their lone loss was a 3-1 setback to the Retrievers in Albany.

 

·       UAlbany leads the conference in blocks at 2.35 per set.

 

·       Graduate student Danielle Tedesco was named America East Player of the Year and is third in America East in hitting percentage at .318. She is also one of three Great Danes to reside in the top ten in the league in blocks, finishing the regular season in seventh at 0.90 per set. Tedesco was joined on the All-Conference First Team by All-Rookie Team member Oren Abutbul. Freshman Lilou Stegeman also earned a spot on the All-Rookie Team.

 

·       UMBC has won three straight in the all-time series, but UAlbany holds a prohibitive 34-12 series lead. UAlbany had won nine straight before the Retrievers captured the America East title in five sets in Albany in April. UMBC won a pair of 3-1 decisions this fall.

 

A GLANCE AT NEW HAMPSHIRE

 

·       The Wildcats won six straight matches before dropping two of their last three.

 

·       New Hampshire leads the conference in service aces with 159 and is second in both hitting percentage (.209) and opponent hitting percentage (.181).

 

·       All-Conference First Team member Abby Sullivan leads America East with a robust .346 hitting percentage and tops UNH with 206 kills. Setter Wren Macaulay was named America East Setter of the Year and to the All-Conference Second Team. She was joined on the All-Conference Second Team by teammate Kelly Kaufmann. Freshman Marissa Armer was named to the All-Rookie Team

 

·       UMBC won a four-setter in Durham on Oct. 1 and then swept the Wildcats ten days later in Baltimore.